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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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Arizona Passes Proof-of-Citizenship Law for Voting in Presidential Elections
"Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona has signed legislation requiring voters to prove their citizenship in order to vote in a presidential election, swiftly drawing a legal challenge from voting rights activists who argued that it could keep tens of thousands of voters from...
Judge Rules Parts of Florida Voting Law Are Unconstitutional
"A federal judge in Florida ruled on Thursday that sections of the state’s year-old election law were unconstitutional and racially motivated, and barred the state from making similar changes to its laws in the next decade without the approval of the federal...
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Presents House Testimony in Support of Abolishing Qualified Immunity
(Washington, D.C.) – Arthur Ago, Director of the Criminal Justice Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law testified before Congress today about how the judge-made doctrine of qualified immunity erodes civil rights protections for people of color. ...
Lawyers’ Committee Releases ‘Standing with Black Farmers’ Video Detailing Need for USDA Debt Relief
(Washington, D.C.) — The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law released a video Thursday, highlighting the decades of longstanding racial discrimination experienced by Black farmers in the administration of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)...
President Biden Signs Emmett Till Antilynching Act into Law
(Washington, DC) – Today, President Joseph Biden signed into law the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, legislation which finally declares lynching a federal hate crime. The legislation is named in honor of Emmett Till, a young Black teenager who was kidnapped and brutally...
5th Circuit Grants Intervention to Black Farmers to Defend Critical USDA Debt Relief Program
(Washington, D.C.) — Black farmers can now defend the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) debt relief program after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reversed a district court ruling denying them the right to intervene in the Miller v....
In New Report, Lawyers’ Committee Recommends the Confirmation of Supreme Court Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
(Washington, D.C.) — The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law released a report on Monday evaluating Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and recommending that she be confirmed by the Senate. In the report, which reflects a thorough review of...
With House Passage of the CROWN Act, Black Natural Hairstyles Move Closer to Federal Protection
(Washington, DC) –The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act of 2022 (CROWN Act), which would prohibit racial discrimination based on a person’s hair texture or hairstyle commonly associated with a...
2020 Census Undercounted Black, Latino and Indigenous People By Hundreds of Thousands Limiting Our Power
(Washington, DC) - The Census Bureau announced Thursday that the 2020 census significantly undercounted the country’s Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities. Non-white Hispanics were overcounted slightly. The 2020 census undercounted the country’s population by...
Longtime Leader of Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio Charged with Conspiracy for Role in Jan. 6 Attack
(Washington, DC) - On Tuesday, longtime leader of the Proud Boys, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, was indicted on conspiracy for the Jan. 6 Capitol attack last year, according to recent reports. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, president and executive director...
Lawyers’ Committee Applauds the Selection of Maya Wiley to Head The Leadership Conference
(Washington, DC) - The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights on Tuesday named Maya D. Wiley, a longtime civil rights attorney and activist, as its new president and CEO. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the...
Civil Rights Leaders Reflect on 57th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday
Washington, D.C. (March 6, 2022) – Leading civil rights organizations issued the following joint statement to reflect on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday and to urge Congress to remain focused on protecting the fundamental right to vote for the American people: “As...
Emmett Till Antilynching Act Passed House with Overwhelming Bipartisan Support
Bill brings the nation one step closer to adopting the first federal anti-lynching legislation (Washington, DC) – Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act in an overwhelming bipartisan vote (422-3), legislation which would...
Senate Fails to Advance Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA)
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the U.S. Senate failed to advance the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), a bill that would protect the right to abortion nationally, and block medically unnecessary restrictions and bans on abortion care. WHPA, which passed the U.S....
President Biden Makes History by Nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the First Black Woman to serve on the Supreme Court
(Washington, D.C.) — President Joseph R. Biden announced his first nominee to the Supreme Court on Friday, fulfilling a campaign promise to appoint the first Black woman to the high court. The nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, has served on the U.S. Court of...