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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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The American Rescue Plan Means Communities of Color Are One Step Closer to Receiving the Assistance They Desperately Need and Deserve
(Washington, D.C.) - The US House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan, H.R.1319, today, a key step towards delivering to Black Americans and other communities of color who have been hit hardest by the pandemic the federal assistance they’ve long needed,...
Blog: Separate and Unequal – America’s Intersectional Crisis Care Problem
Sarah McSweeney was like any neighbor in Oregon City, Oregon, trying to make it through the pandemic in 2020. She was bright, full of dreams, enjoyed visiting the mall and having her hair done, and loved listening to Kenny Chesney. Mostly, she loved to laugh and make...
Civil Rights Groups Stand United in Critiquing Revival of Lawsuit Over Race-Conscious Admissions at Yale
(Washington, D.C.) - Civil rights groups criticized the latest attack on Yale University’s important race-conscious admissions policy today after Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed another lawsuit against the school. SFFA’s filing comes less than three weeks...
National Lawyers’ Committee to Receive $1 Million from Dominion Energy in the Fight for Racial Justice
(RICHMOND, Va.) – Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), together with the company’s charitable foundation, will contribute $1 million to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a national civil rights organization with the mission to secure equal justice for all...
Passage of the Equality Act in the House of Representatives Brings the Nation One Step Closer to Rooting Out Systemic Discrimination
(Washington, D.C.) - The House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, H.R.5, today, landmark legislation that would explicitly clarify LGBTQ+ people are covered under federal civil rights laws and strengthen public accommodation laws. The following is a statement...
Blog: Biden Should Redirect Federal Funding for Police in Schools to Mental Health Professionals
Placing police in schools makes it more likely for students to be suspended, referred to law enforcement and arrested—and students who are Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and those with disabilities experience these harms most acutely. Federal funding, which...
National Civil Rights Groups Challenge Medicaid Work Requirements
(Washington D.C.) - Former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Alex Azar’s implementation of new work requirements failed to consider the negative health impacts the loss of Medicaid coverage would have on women, particularly women of color,...
Justice in Policing Begins With George Floyd Act
(Washington, D.C.) - National Civil rights leaders called on the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Georgy Floyd Justice in Policing Act today, a critical step to holding law enforcement accountable for unconstitutional and unethical conduct. The 2020 killing...
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Announces New Board Leadership
(Washington, D.C.) - The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a leading national civil rights organization, announced today that Joseph K. West has been named the new board co-chair of the national Lawyers’ Committee Board of Directors. Mr. West joins...
Maryland Officials Responsible for Detention Facility COVID Outbreak
(Washington, D.C.) - The Maryland secretary of Public Safety and Corrections and the Chesapeake Detention Facility’s (CDF) warden have failed to properly prepare for and respond to an avoidable...
Complaint Filed with Federal Government Against N.C.’s Failure to Protect Workers from COVID-19
(Raleigh, N.C.) - North Carolina’s failure to engage in rulemaking to protect workers from COVID-19 or to investigate COVID complaints violates the state’s obligations to operate at least as effectively as the...
Blog: In Gwinnett Co., Georgia, Spanish-Speaking Citizens Are Denied Voting Materials in Their First Language
Voters in Gwinnett County, Georgia who speak Spanish as their first language, are receiving key election materials in English even though these citizens have a right to receive voting materials in Spanish because the county is covered by Section 203 of the Voting...
Facebook Must Permanently Ban Trump from Platform or Risk Sustained Episodes of Online Hate and Violence
The Facebook Oversight Board must ensure that President Trump’s removal from Facebook is permanent, or risk his further incitement of violence, promotion of racism, and threat to democracy, comments submitted to the board by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights...
Black Neighborhoods and Communities of Color Need the Covid-19 Vaccine Now
(Washington, D.C.) - During a speech at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., President Joseph R. Biden announced yesterday that the U.S. has secured 200 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, acting...
Is Crisis Care Encouraging Medical Bias Towards At-Risk Intersectional Communities?
(Washington, D.C.) – Medical bias against at-risk intersectional communities may worsen health care outcomes for these groups who have historically experienced discrimination by medical professionals, a coalition of civil rights groups and legal scholars announced...