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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.
We have subject matter experts on civil rights issues ready to handle inquiries from journalists on such issues as voting rights, criminal justice, economic justice, fair housing, educational opportunity, racial justice matters and more.
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Atty. General Garland’s Commitment to Voting Rights is a Welcome Change
(Washington, D.C.) — U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered remarks Friday, laying out the role the U.S. Department of Justice will play in defending voting rights across the nation. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, president and executive...
North Carolina Must No Longer Overlook the Health of Its Essential Workers
As vaccination rates inch closer to 50% in North Carolina, advocates and health officials continue to push for the adoption of workplace safety rules to protect the thousands of at-risk and essential workers still on the front lines of COVID-19 fight. At a hearing in...
Hewitt Stresses Voter Protections During Sen. Manchin Meeting
(Washington, D.C.) - Leaders of several legacy civil rights organizations met virtually with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today to discuss their policy priorities and concerns related to voting rights and police reform—two of the most critical civil rights issues...
866-OUR-VOTE Election Protection Hotline Available to Help Voters During Virginia Primary Election
(Washington, D.C.) — Legal volunteers staffing the nonpartisan Election Protection 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) hotline are available to answer calls from Virginia voters who need help casting their ballot during the June 8 statewide primary elections. The hotline...
866-OUR-VOTE Election Protection Hotline Available to Help Voters During New Jersey Primary Election
(Washington, D.C.) — Legal volunteers staffing the nonpartisan Election Protection 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) hotline are available to answer calls from New Jersey voters who need help casting their ballot during the June 8 statewide primary elections. The hotline...
Trump’s Facebook Suspension Is Long Overdue, Company Should Still Ban Him from the Platform
(Menlo Park, Calif.) - Facebook will suspend former President Trump from the platform for two years it announced on Friday. The company’s announcement follows a ruling from the Facebook Oversight Board in May that pushed the decision of whether or not to ban the...
Elimination of Online Bar Exam Administration Will Benefit Communities of Color
(Madison, Wis.) - The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced Friday that it will be discontinuing the option to take the bar exam online starting in February 2022 and will only allow in-person examination. When the NCBE moved to allow the online...
5 Years After His Passing: Ali and the Lawyers’ Committee, Remembering His Humanity
From boxer to activist, entertainer, poet and philanthropist, Muhammad Ali was known by many titles and names. Above all else, Muhammad Ali was undeniably, unequivocally a human being like no other, whose simple desire to be true to himself made him one of the most...
Nevada Passes Landmark Civil Rights Legislation, Prohibits Discrimination by Online Services
(Carson City, Nev.) - Governor Steve Sisolak (D-Nev.) signed Assembly Bill 207 into law Wednesday, extending Nevada’s public accommodations laws to protect online services. This will prohibit online service providers and e-commerce platforms from engaging in...
Essential Workers Still Deserve Equal Justice and Protection During the Pandemic, Says Letter to CDC
The latest guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which permits vaccinated individuals to forgo masks in public indoor spaces, creates a continued unnecessary risk of contracting COVID-19 for essential workers and must be revised, according...
Damon Hewitt Named Next President and Executive Director of national Lawyers’ Committee
(WASHINGTON) – The executive committee of the Washington, D.C.-based Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law announced on Wednesday that it has selected veteran civil rights attorney and policy expert Damon Hewitt as the organization’s next president and...
Full Inclusion of Transgender Students in Schools is a Civil Right, Open Letter Demands Rejection of Bigotry
Transgender students deserve full inclusion in all educational opportunities, including extracurricular activities, and the bigoted, discriminatory policies being pushed by legislators in several states must be rejected, an open letter signed by 60 national civil and...
MORE Act Could Rectify the Harm From the War on Drugs
(Washington, D.C.) - Decriminalizing marijuana would begin to address the harms caused by America’s War on Drugs and communities, according to legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and several others Friday. Passage of the Marijuana Opportunity...
National Organizations Urge Biden to Hold Big Tech Accountable, Reform Protections
(Washington, D.C.) - Fifteen national organizations called on President Biden to put an end to the recent U.S. government practice of enshrining Section 230-like protections for big tech platforms into trade agreements in a letter released Thursday. The letter comes...
Bill Would Reduce Online Racial Discrimination and Artificial Intelligence Bias
(Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) introduced the Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act (AJOPTA) on Thursday, a sweeping and robust online civil rights bill to prevent discrimination online and...