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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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Civil Rights Lawyers, Social Justice Organizations, and Labor Organizations File Brief Urging Supreme Court to Reject the Independent State Legislature Theory
WASHINGTON—The widely discredited independent state legislature theory, if adopted, would render state courts largely powerless to stop voting barriers that violate state constitutions, threatening to reverse the gains of the Civil Rights Movement, according to an...
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Previews Oral Argument Ahead of Affirmative Action Supreme Court Case
The organization, joined by UNC and Harvard alumni, emphasized the necessity of race-conscious admissions for the betterment of all students, professionals, and democracy at large. WASHINGTON–On October 31, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law...
Lawyers’ Committee Applauds Department of Agriculture for Provision of $800 Million to Distressed Farm Loan Borrowers
WASHINGTON – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund applaud the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement that it has provided nearly $800 million...
Lawyers’ Committee Commemorates Civil Rights Leader Charles Sherrod
WASHINGTON– On Tuesday, Charles Sherrod, the first field secretary of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Civil Rights Movement pioneer, passed away at his home in Albany, GA. Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director of...
Florida Officials Must Take Emergency Action to Ensure Voting Access Amid Hurricane Ian Recovery
TALLAHASSEE – Several organizations that belong to the Election Protection coalition convened by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sent a letter Tuesday to Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, Division of...
Lawyers’ Committee Applauds President Biden’s Announced Pardon of All Prior Federal Offenses of Simple Possession of Marijuana
WASHINGTON– Today, President Biden announced a pardon of all prior Federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana and a review of marijuana’s classification as a controlled substance. The following are statements from experts at the Lawyers’...
Lawyers’ Committee Applauds Department of Interior Policies Requiring Body-Worn Cameras for Law Enforcement Officers
WASHINGTON– Today, Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement in response to the Department of the Interior’s new policy requiring thousands of...
Outcome of Merrill v. Milligan Could Limit Voting Rights Further Jeopardizing Democracy
WASHINGTON —The Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral argument in Merrill v. Milligan on Tuesday concerning Alabama's persistent failure to develop maps that would give Black voters an equal opportunity to vote for candidates of their choosing in the...
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Applauds White House AI Bill of Rights
WASHINGTON– The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law commends the Biden Administration on the introduction of its new AI Bill of Rights, a landmark set of principles for the fair and ethical use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and other...
Department of Justice Awards Nearly $57 Million to Support Criminal Justice Reform and Advance Racial Equity in the Criminal Justice System
WASHINGTON - In response to the Department of Justice's announcement on Wednesday that it will award almost $57 million to support criminal justice reform and advance racial equity in the criminal justice system,Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of...
Lawyers’ Committee Notifies Gwinnett County, Georgia of Violations of State and Federal Law in Thousands of Pre-Election Challenges to Registered Voters
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA–Today the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL), acting for a coalition of voting rights advocates, notified the Georgia Secretary of State and Gwinnett County that the County has been illegally sustaining pre-election...
Lawyers’ Committee to Host Higginbotham Gala to Honor Trailblazers for Outstanding Contributions to Racial and Social Justice
New York, NY- The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is proud to host its annual Higginbotham Leadership Awards Gala on Wednesday, September 28th, in New York City to celebrate leaders who demonstrate a commitment to racial and social justice and...
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Joins Call to Action Against Hate-Fueled Violence at White House’s “United We Stand” Summit
WASHINGTON–Today, the White House hosted the “United We Stand” Summit, bringing together civil rights advocates, hate incident survivors, business and government leaders to address the rising tide of hate nationwide. During the summit, the White...
National Civil Rights and Reproductive Rights Leaders Meet with Vice President Harris to Stress the Urgency to Protect Reproductive and Voting rights
WASHINGTON, DC (September 12, 2022) – The nation’s top civil rights leaders, reproductive rights and justice organizations met with Vice President Kamala Harris today to discuss the harmful impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in...
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Welcomes New Members to its Board of Directors and Executive Committee
Washington—Today, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law announced new members joining its Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Among the new additions is Dean Danielle R. Holley, of the Howard University School of Law, who was elected to serve as...