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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 attorney discusses rise of hate crimes in U.S.
A forum was held Sept. 10 at Ithaca College detailing the rise of hate crimes and white supremacy in the United States and how students can combat hateful language.
Judge Temporarily Blocks Tennessee Voter-Registration Drive Law
A federal judge in Tennessee temporarily blocked a new law restricting voter-registration drives in the state, saying its “troublingly vague” provisions could undermine constitutional rights.
Voting Rights Advocates Challenge Legality of Georgia’s Embattled New Voting System
Complaint Filed on Behalf of the Coalition for Good Governance and Georgia Voters on the Heels of Achieving a Major Victory in Federal Court Washington, D.C. – On Friday, the Coalition for Good Governance and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and...
Federal Court Denies Tennessee Motion to Dismiss Case Challenging Voter Registration
Nashville, TN – A federal judge in Tennessee rejected Tennessee’s attempt to dismiss the complaint brought by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, pro bono counsel Hogan Lovells/US, and partners that challenges the state’s new law restricting the ability...
15 States Say Unauthorized Immigrants Should Continue To Count For Seats In Congress
A federal judge is allowing a New York-led coalition of 15 states and other groups to defend the Census Bureau in a lawsuit brought by Alabama, the New York state attorney general's office said Friday. Alabama is challenging more than 200 years of...
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Condemns Trump Administration’s Proposal to Reform Housing Policy
Washington, D.C. – In Response to the Trump Administration’s proposal to reform the housing finance system and remove government-sponsored entities (GSEs) from conservatorship – notably, mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – Kristen Clarke, president and...
Felicity Huffman to kick off sentencing of parents in college admissions case: Will judge ‘send a message?’
BOSTON – The Justice Department suffered a setback in June when the first defendant sentenced in the nation's college admissions scandal, a former Stanford University sailing coach, avoided any prison time.
It’s time to hit the reset button on the privatization of public education
Opponents of traditional public schools are scrambling to defend the diversion of public funds to charter and private schools. They argue that since education itself is a public good, it shouldn’t matter where a student is educated: any school, regardless of its...
Advocates File Amicus Brief to Defend Students Against Navient Corporation
Navient claims it doesn’t have to follow state laws WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), the Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC), the Pennsylvania SeniorLAW Center, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, New Jersey Citizen...
‘It smells like a decomposing body’: North Carolina’s polluting pig farms
After years of burying neighbours’ complaints about illegal spraying of hog manure, state officials suddenly began posting them online. What changed?
Fifth Circuit Rules New Orleans Debtors’ Prison Scheme Violates Constitutional Rights of the City’s Poorest Citizens
Washington, D.C. — The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that the debtors’ prison scheme run by the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court (OPCDC), where indigent people are jailed for being unable to pay court debts, gives judges an unconstitutional...
Creating a ‘domestic terrorism’ charge would actually hurt communities of color
In the wake of the horrific mass murder this month in El Paso, in which a gunman killed 22 people and wounded dozens of others, Americans have understandably sought ways to prevent such tragedies. In particular, some have called for making “domestic...
National Civil Rights Organization Opposes Efforts to Gut Civil Rights Protections Under the Affordable Care Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a comment opposing the Trump Administration’s proposed rule to limit civil rights protections in health care under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. The proposed rule, which was issued...
Voting precinct reopened in Hazlehurst amid closures across Georgia
A voting precinct will be reopened in the South Georgia town of Hazlehurst, a rare expansion of voting access in a predominantly African American area.
Voting Rights Advocates Applaud Reversal of Jeff Davis County’s Closure of Polling Place in Majority-Minority Precinct
County’s Decision in Response to Demand Letter Issued by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Advocacy by Georgia Organizations WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the Jeff Davis County Board of Elections and Registrars voted to re-open a polling place in the...