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

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

    3/30/12
    Related Case or Issue: 
    South Carolina v. United States

    Columbia, South Carolina—Today, the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and individual Black college students moved to join a lawsuit to prevent the implementation of South Carolina’s discriminatory voting law.

  • John Payton Left a Lasting Mark

    3/29/12
    Source: 
    The Root

    John Payton, who died on March 22 at the age of 65, had an infectious optimism and confidence that made all good things not simply possible but probable. As the leader of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc., John reset the odds in the fight for equality.

  • Friends Recall a Giant of Civil Rights Law

    3/24/12
    Source: 
    The Root

    Last week the world lost one of its most revered and effective legal warriors in the battle for civil rights: John A. Payton, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. President Barack Obama said in a statement, "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." We asked his friends and colleagues to share their sentiments, as well.

  • 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.