Wednesday, March 13, 2019 | news
California Governor Gavin Newsom is about to sign an executive order today imposing a moratorium on the death penalty in the state and closing the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison. With this move, California joins Oregon, Colorado, and Pennsylvania as states that have used executive power to halt capital punishment. “Governor Newsom’s imposition […]
Wednesday, September 28, 2016 | news
Today Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 2466 into law, which restores voting rights to over 50,000 Californians with non-violent felony convictions. NAACP Legal Defense Fund Associate Director-Counsel Janai Nelson offered the following statement: “Today Governor Jerry Brown once again showed how California can lead the way on voting rights. By signing AB2466, which restores voting […]
Monday, July 9, 2018 | news
President Donald Trump announced today that he has nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court. Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), issued the following statement: “This nomination is a turning point for our country. We have litigated racial discrimination issues […]
Thursday, October 22, 2015 | news
Washington, D.C. – Today, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (“LDF”) commends the Senate Judiciary Committee’s favorable consideration of a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 (S. 2123.) “The Committee’s movement on this long-awaited bill constitutes welcome progress on criminal justice reform,” said Leslie Proll, LDF’s Director of […]
Thursday, October 1, 2015 | news
Today’s bipartisan introduction of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act is an important first step in the process of enacting federal criminal justice reform, according to Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), a national civil rights legal organization that has fought for criminal justice reform for decades. […]
Wednesday, January 23, 2019 | news
Last night the Baltimore City school board voted unanimously to oppose a measure that would have allowed school police officers to carry firearms during school hours. According to the Baltimore Sun, the school board’s vote effectively kills HB31, a bill that if passed would have allowed school police to carry guns in schools. The NAACP […]
Tuesday, February 26, 2019 | news
The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners (the Board) voted 8-2 to support a measure aimed at changing state law and allowing Baltimore School Police (BSP) officers to carry a firearm during the school day. For the third time in four months, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) submitted written testimony before […]
Tuesday, May 15, 2018 | news
Related Case or Issue: Policing Reform Campaign Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) issued the following statement in response to remarks delivered yesterday by Attorney General Sessions: “Tackling the strained police-community relationship in cities and towns across the country requires strong leadership from Washington. Eschewing legal […]
Friday, December 22, 2017 | news
Read a PDF of our statement here. LDF Statement on Attorney General Sessions Rescinding 25 Guidance Documents Late yesterday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded 25 guidance documents, including an Obama-era letter the Justice Department (DOJ) sent to state and local courts clarifying their legal obligations regarding the enforcement of fines and fees. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, […]
Friday, May 12, 2017 | news
Read a PDF of our statement here. LDF Statement on Attorney General Sessions Charging and Sentencing Directive Attorney General Jeff Sessions circulated a memo late Thursday night that directs federal prosecutors to charge nonviolent, low-level drug offenders with long, mandatory-minimum sentences. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill issued the following statement in […]
