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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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Reflecting on the One Year Passing of John Lewis
(Washington, D.C.) - One year after the passing of civil rights hero and long-time member of Congress, John Lewis, the nation reflects on his fight for voting rights and justice for all. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, president and executive director...
Senate Judiciary Committee Must Swiftly Confirm Myrna Pérez
(Washington, D.C.) —The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of lawyer and voting rights expert, Myrna Pérez to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Wednesday, as the nationwide fight for civil rights, including...
DeKalb Co., Georgia Restores Voter Rolls to Settle Federal Lawsuit
(ATLANTA) — The DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections (BRE) will reinstate the eligibility of all voters who had been purged from the voting rolls since February 2018 due to a residency-based challenge, and impose new procedures for the next two years...
Biden Administration Must Center Civil Rights, Civil Liberties in Artificial Intelligence Policy Priorities
(Washington, D.C.) — The Biden administration must prioritize the protection of civil rights and civil liberties in government policies on artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure technological progress promotes equity, states a letter and three memos sent Tuesday to...
HUD’s Imminent Restoration of Fair Housing Rule Is a Victory for Civil Rights
(Washington, D.C.) – Provisions of the Fair Housing Act which fight our nation’s legacy of government-sponsored residential segregation and discrimination could again be enforced if a proposed federal rule is adopted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development...
Catherine Lhamon Nomination Breathes New Life Into Civil Rights at Schools
(Washington, D.C.) —The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hold a hearing on Tuesday on the nomination of Catherine Lhamon to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. If...
Readout of Civil Rights Leaders Meeting with President Biden and Vice President Harris
WASHINGTON — The leaders of the nation’s top historic civil rights organizations released the following joint readout on their meeting today at the White House with President Biden and Vice President Harris: “In a very constructive meeting, national civil rights...
Baltimore Police Destroyed Murder Victims’ Seized Property
The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) destroyed the personal property of a murder victim, denying his family the opportunity to collect his belongings, in violation of the family’s constitutional rights according to claims made in an amended lawsuit filed Thursday by...
Texas Legislature Convenes for Special Session to Resuscitate Failed Voter Suppression Legislation
(Austin, Texas) — Texas state legislators returned to the Capitol building Thursday to begin a special session, during which they will resume debate on SB7, the omnibus voter suppression bill that failed passage at the regular legislative session in late...
Financial Regulators Must Address Discrimination Risks of Artificial Intelligence in Housing and Lending
Artificial Intelligence (AI) models used by banks and lenders must be carefully designed, tested, and monitored to ensure they do not reinforce and amplify historic discrimination and redlining against Black Americans and other communities of...
Supreme Court Makes It More Difficult to Protect Voters of Color from Discrimination
(Washington, D.C.) - In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court made it more difficult for voters of color to protect themselves against discrimination, by changing the long-established standards for how Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act can stop discrimination in...
22 1/2 Years: Chauvin Sentencing Must Mark a New Chapter for Accountability
(MINNEAPOLIS) — Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison, Friday, for the 2020 murder of George Floyd. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:...
HUD Moves to Restore Core Fair Housing Act Protections
(Washington, D.C.) – The U.S. Department of Housing of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a proposal on Friday that would restore the protections of its 2013 rule which protects groups from discriminatory housing policies. The move could set a standard for...
Our Democracy Hangs in the Balance 8 Years After Shelby County v. Holder
(Washington, D.C.) — In 2013, when the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the heart of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, voting rights advocates feared that southern states with a history of voting discrimination would immediately return to their old...
Blog: It’s Been 8 Years Since Shelby County v. Holder. Congress Needs to Restore the Full Protections of the Voting Rights Act.
“The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in democracy.” - John Lewis Eight years ago, in the disastrous Shelby County v. Holder decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a significant provision of the Voting...