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Welcome to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Newsroom. This page contains our press releases, news clips and blog posts.
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Why Few Cities Will Take the Supreme Court Up on Their Right to Sue Banks
“So what it leaves open right now is, can cities who brought this kind of case establish the kind of proximate cause the court has flagged in this decision?” says Joe Rich, a fair housing expert for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Georgia Republican Is Furious More People Will Get To Vote In Upcoming Election
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/karen-handel-georgia_us_5911c248e4b0d5d9049ff68a) Karen Handel, the Georgia Republican running in a special congressional election, insists her constituents should be angry over a federal judge’s decision to let more people...
Trump Walks Back Threat to Defund Black Colleges
Regardless, it prompted an uproar. Kristen Clarke, the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, called the statement “shameful.”
Front-runner to lead Justice Department civil rights division defended retailer in Supreme Court discrimination case
Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said that “it will be important for the Senate to carefully review his record if he indeed is the nominee because he has been on both sides of civil rights matters.”
“His experience handling some civil rights matters does not answer key questions about his views on voting rights, policing reform and other core aspects of the division’s work,” Clarke said.
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Secures Victory Extending Voter Registration Deadline for Georgia Runoff Election
Court’s Decision Extends Deadline for Georgia’s Upcoming Sixth Congressional District Contest and all Future Federal Runoff Elections WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a federal court in Georgia issued an injunction requiring Georgia election officials to allow voters to cast...
Judge allows Georgia voter registration 30 days before election
“Would-be voters in Georgia’s Sixth congressional district were denied a full and fair opportunity to register and vote under the prior law,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee. “Today’s decision extending the voter registration deadline helps ensure that eligible voters will be able to participate in the upcoming runoff election, and in all future runoff elections for federal office. States like Georgia must stop taking action to suppress the rights of voters.”
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Response to Decision to Not Pursue Federal Criminal Prosecution in Shooting Death of Alton Sterling
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it will not pursue federal criminal prosecution of Officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II for the 2016 shooting death of Mr. Alton Sterling. Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of...
U.S. Supreme Court Reaffirms Standing of Cities to Sue under the Fair Housing Act
Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision recognizing that the City of Miami, Florida may sue major banks for violating the Fair Housing Act through discriminatory mortgage lending practices that caused significant economic harm to the City....
Supreme Court says cities can sue big banks over housing bubble damages
“Today’s Supreme Court decision reinforces the critical role that states and cities must play in holding banks and other actors accountable for actions that continue to harm communities, particularly minority communities that have borne the brunt of the crisis,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
SCOTUS Decision May Fuel Suits Against Banks
Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, also applauded the decision, while calling the proximate-clause finding “a small step backward.” Clarke said, “Our nation is still wrestling with the collateral consequences of the foreclosure crisis. Today’s Supreme Court decision reinforces the critical role that states and cities must play in holding banks and other actors accountable for actions that continue to harm communities, particularly minority communities that have borne the brunt of the crisis.”
Supreme Court says cities can sue banks over predatory loans
“Our nation is still wrestling with the collateral consequences of the foreclosure crisis,” Kristen Clarke
100 Days of Civil Rights in the Trump Administration
“We have seen a series of unlawful and misguided executive orders, imposition of a discriminatory Muslim Ban, a massive rollback on federal civil rights enforcement and a resulting wave of litigation across the country challenging this administration’s actions,” said Kristen Clarke
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Issues Statement on President Trump’s First 100 Days in Office
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement on the “first 100 days” of the administration of President Donald Trump: “In the first 100 days of this...
AJC Watchdog: DC lawyers, liberal groups push 6th District lawsuit
Houk said Georgia isn’t a special target of the committee. But the group has been very active in Georgia in the four years since the Supreme Court struck down protections against racial discrimination embedded in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Those protections required changes in voting practices and boundaries in Georgia and other mostly Southern states with a history of discriminatory practices to get federal approval.
After Hate Crimes, Victims Get Stuck With the Bill
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law recently began operating a hotline at 844-9-NO-HATE (844-966-4283), through which volunteers can help callers find legal representation. But beyond that, “there is no real comprehensive network around the country” to connect victims of hate crimes or harassment with lawyers, said Betsy Shuman-Moore, the director of the Hate Crime Project at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. In the Chicago area, she added, legal resources for hate crime victims have actually decreased in recent years.