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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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Pennsylvania Prosecutors Pursue Charges For People Who Fall Behind on Rent-to-Own Payments
“When [companies] are able to use the criminal justice system to enforce those debts and subject people they’ve already taken advantage of to criminal penalties, that to me is unconscionable,” Myesha Braden, director for the Criminal Justice Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told The Appeal. “That perpetuates mass incarceration. That perpetuates inequality.” Braden said lenders should obviously expect customers to make payments on their loans, but that many companies make loan terms so burdensome it is nearly impossible for poor people to not default.
ICE, Justice subpoena voter records from North Carolina
ICE and the DOJ got a court order for North Carolina to turn over eight years of voter registration records for NC’s Eastern District. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law called the subpoena a “clear voter suppression scheme” during an election cycle. “At a time when the federal government should be deploying its limited resources to enforce the Voting Rights Act and to promote access to the polling place, we instead see them taking action intended to have a clear chilling effect on minority voters,” President and Executive Director Kristen Clarke said. “We reject this campaign to intimidate voters and urge the federal government to immediately abandon this unprecedented and dangerous voter suppression scheme.”
“What Are They Hiding?”: Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings Begin Despite Suppression of 100K Documents
Kristen Clarke: “My organization, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, undertook the review that we were able to. We looked at his cases during his time on the D.C. Circuit. We looked at his cases in the areas of criminal justice, voting rights, environmental justice, economic justice and more. And we came to the very solid conclusion that he is somebody who will turn the clock back when it comes to advancing civil rights and protecting constitutional rights in our country.”
Polling Places Remain a Target Ahead of November Elections
In the five years since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act, 868 polling places have been shuttered across the country, many of them in southern black communities. “We are now seeing the fallout of that ruling,” said Kristen Clarke, the president and executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Primary Day: Election Protection Hotlines (866-OUR-VOTE) Ready to Respond to MA Voters’ Calls
Toll-Free Hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) is Live on Primary Day for Voter Assistance WASHINGTON, D.C. – Election Protection, the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, in conjunction with our partner...
Texas ex-officer is sentenced to 15 years for killing an unarmed teen
Convictions such as Oliver’s are rare mostly because when an officer says the person flashed a gun or made a sudden move, jurors tend to side with them, said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “At the end of day, officers in their badge and uniform enjoy the benefit of the doubt,” Clarke said last year.
Trump administration backs Asian-Americans suing Harvard over its affirmative action admissions policy
“This is a Justice Department that has fully abandoned its mission and is now waging an all-out assault on efforts to promote diversity,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, in a statement Thursday. Although the case focuses on allegations of discrimination against a minority group, it could establish precedent affecting affirmative action practices across the board.
“At the heart of this case is the unjustified presumption that test scores alone entitle a student admission to Harvard, and the unsupported allegation that race drives admission decisions,” Clarke added.
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Responds to DOJ’s Attack on Racial Diversity in Harvard Case
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Statement of Interest supporting Plaintiff students suing...
Racial Justice Organizations Oppose Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Confirmation to U.S. Supreme Court
Each Organization Independently Concluded His Record is a Threat to Racial Justice Washington, D.C – Racial justice organizations are opposing the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, as his record clearly demonstrates that he would be a threat...
Government accuses Harvard of ‘outright racial balancing’
Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, criticized the Justice Department for “signaling abandonment of the agency’s long-standing historical mission of working to address racial discrimination and promote diversity.” She said the department’s filing “ignores the well-documented racial bias embedded in grades and standardized test scores.”
100+ Attorneys Issue Statement to Senate Opposing Supreme Court Nominee Based on Civil Rights Record
Lawyers' Committee Also Released New Report Evaluating Judge Kavanaugh's Available Civil Rights Record WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee) released its report evaluating the available civil rights record of...
Lawyers’ Committee Releases Report Evaluating Supreme Court Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh
Every term, critical cases concerning the interpretation and application of the Constitution and federal civil rights laws come before the Supreme Court. On July 9, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the United States Court of Appeals of...
Maricopa County voting issues continue to raise eyebrows of watchdogs
“We know that many people, especially those that are working long shifts, may only have an hour or two in the morning to cast a ballot,” said Laura Grace, the Lawyers; Committee’s Election Protection Manager. “Or they may not have transportation options to travel from their home precinct to a bonus voting center, and we did have voters that called the hotline and said that wasn’t an option for them. We’re very disappointed that the County Board of Supervisors refused to extend voting hours or look for remedies for voters that were impacted.”
Lessons From a Botched Voter Suppression Scheme
Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Commission for Civil Rights Under Law — which had threatened legal action if Malone’s proposal [to close 7 out of 9 polling sites] had been adopted — tells Rolling Stone she was “pleased that officials saw fit to bow both to the needs of the electorate and the dictates of the law in rejecting this poorly conceived plan to shutter polling sites.”
Election Protection Deeply Concerned by Maricopa County’s Refusal to Extend Voting Hours
National Non-Partisan Election Protection Expresses Deep Regrets Over Maricopa County Board of Supervisor's Refusal to Extend Voting Hours Laura Grace, Election Protection Manager for the Voting Rights Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law,...