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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.

Looking to arrange an interview or book a speaker? Contact press@lawyerscommittee.org

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There’s Nothing Disrespectful About Serena Williams’ Cat Suit

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, argued that the targeting of Williams is yet another example of a racist culture that seeks out opportunities to police black women’s appearance. “Arbitrary dress code policies have been disproportionately used to target Black women in schools, at work and now on the tennis court,” she wrote on Twitter.

Georgia blocks move to close voting sites in mostly black county

A Georgia elections board on Friday blocked a bid to close most polling places in a largely black county…“We are pleased African-Americans voters in Randolph County will be able to access polling stations in November,” Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a phone interview. “Too often they are faced with voter suppression tactics like this which are clearly motivated by racial animus.”

A Rural Georgia County Considered Closing Polling Places. It Struck a Nerve.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law threatened to sue, arguing that closing the polling places over accessibility made little sense. “Forcing elderly, disabled, and other persons with mobility issues to travel lengthy distances to vote is out of place with the purported goal of A.D.A. compliance,” its lawyers wrote to the county.

Georgia County Can’t Back Up Its Excuse For Plan To Disenfranchise Black Voters

“You’d think, if you’re going to adopt a change that could potentially disenfranchise voters, that you’d have a strong justification backed by research. However, there’s absolutely no evidence of that here.” John Powers, an attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law on the importance of officials having robust data to support proposed changes to voting practices.

15 cents short? Mother raises lunch money for other students

A Volusia County mother is raising funds to make sure no students are denied lunch because they don’t have enough money to pay for it. She and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law have created a GoFundMe account to raise money for their newly developed campaign. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is in the process of establishing contact with the Volusia County school district to see how cafeteria workers could possibly get access to the funds.