NAACP Legal Defense Fund : Defend, Educate, Empower

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"The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund is simply the best civil rights law firm in American history." -- President Obama

News Updates

  • Statement by the President on the Passing of John Payton

    3/23/12
    Source: 
    Whitehouse.gov

    Michelle and I were saddened to hear about the passing of our dear friend John Payton. As president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, John led the organization’s involvement in five Supreme Court cases. A true champion of equality, he helped protect civil rights in the classroom and at the ballot box.  The legal community has lost a legend, and while we mourn John's passing, we will never forget his courage and fierce opposition to discrimination in all its forms. 

  • Was Trayvon Martin's Killing A Federal Hate Crime?

    3/22/12
    Source: 
    NPR

    Civil rights groups cheered the news that the Justice Department would look into the case of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teen shot by a man on neighborhood watch in Sanford, Fla.

    But the bar for the Justice Department to make a federal case is high. Ultimately, it has few options at its disposal when it comes to investigating the teen's death.

  • John Payton In Memoriam

    3/22/12

    1946-2012

    John Payton, the President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., and a tireless advocate for justice, equality, and opportunity, died March 22, 2012 after a brief illness. He was 65.   LDF is deeply saddened and mourns this tragic loss.

  • LDF Seeks to Join Fight Against Texas’s Discriminatory Photo ID Law

    3/20/12
    Related Case or Issue: 
    Texas v. Holder

    Houston, Texas—Yesterday, the Texas League of Young Voters Education Fund and Black college students at Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern universities filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit to prevent the implementation of a discriminatory photo ID law, and defend the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act. 

  • Law Ending Prison-Based Gerrymandering Stands: Plaintiffs Drop Challenge

    3/16/12
    Source: 
    LDF

    New York, NY – New Yorkers enjoyed a clear victory today, as plaintiffs in the Little v. LATFOR case dropped their challenge of the state law ending prison-based gerrymandering.