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In Commemoration of Its 50th Anniversary, LDF Urges Congress to Reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

On April 11th, 2015, as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) into law by then-President and former school teacher Lyndon Johnson, LDF urges Congress to pass an ESEA reauthorization bill that honors the federal role in holding states accountable for ensuring equal access to quality […]

In Baltimore’s AFRO, Ajmel Quereshi Looks at Links Between the DOJ Policing Report and Questions of Transportation and Housing Justice

The Track to Ending Two Baltimores Since the release of the Department of Justice’s report finding that the Baltimore Police Department unconstitutionally stops and arrests African Americans, a great deal of attention has been paid – and for good reason – to the various ways in which Baltimore’s policing practices and accountability systems must change. […]

In An Alarming Departure from Long-Settled Precedent, U.S. Supreme Court Holds Harvard and UNC’s Admissions Practices Unconstitutional

Today, the Supreme Court bowed to pressure from anti-civil rights activists, finding that Harvard and the University of North Carolina’s affirmative action programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This radical decision comes at a time when efforts to advance opportunity in education have been under attack across the country, and the […]

In 50th Anniversary Year of Historic Voting Rights Act, LDF Urges Congress to Pass Federal Legislation to Restore Voting Opportunities to Formerly Incarcerated

On March 18, 2015, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) joins a broad and diverse coalition of civil rights, criminal justice, and other advocacy organizations in supporting the Democracy Restoration Act of 2015. Members of Congress, led by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Representative John Conyers (D-MI-13), introduced the bill, which would restore the right […]

In ‘Capital Punishment on Trial,’ UT’s David Oshinsky takes clear look at death penalty’s divisive history

By the early 1970s, opponents of capital punishment thought the Supreme Court might be ready to declare the death penalty unconstitutional, a violation of the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against "cruel and unusual punishments" and the 14th Amendment's demand for "due process under law." The court had indicated a willingness to apply "evolving standards of decency" […]

Important Facts About LDF’s Lawsuit Challenging Florida’s New Voting Law

LDF filed a federal lawsuit against Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee challenging Florida’s new law that greatly restricts voting access. The lawsuit argues that S.B. 90 creates unnecessary barriers and burdens that disproportionately impact Black and Latinx voters, and voters with disabilities, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the First, Fourteenth, and […]

Impact of Redistricting in YOUR Community

Immigrants’ Rights Advocates Sue Trump Administration Over Birthright Citizenship Executive Order    

New order puts newborns in harm’s way, is unconstitutional, and flouts fundamental American values     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   January 20, 2025    CONTACT:   Inga Sarda-Sorensen, ACLU, 347-514-3984, isarda-sorensen@aclu.org Ari Mischik, ACLU of New Hampshire, ariana@aclu-nh.org Kate Lagreca, ACLU of Massachusetts, media@aclum.org Samuel Crankshaw, ACLU of Maine, scrankshaw@aclumaine.org Niketa Kumar, Asian Law Caucus, media@asianlawcaucus.org Troi Barnes, […]

Illinois Voting Rights Act

Illinois Needs its Own Voting Rights Act The Illinois Voting Rights Act (ILVRA) Introduced: February 2025 As Black voters face the greatest assault on voting rights since Jim Crow, the Illinois Voting Rights Act (ILVRA) would enact strong protections to ensure Black voters and other voters of color can fully participate in the electoral process […]

Illegal Trespass Stops

Re “At Home, and Accused of Trespassing” (About New York column, Sept. 28): Jim Dwyer reports that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg offered a “scoffing dismissal” to the suggestion that innocent people are wrongly charged with trespassing in New York City public housing. The mayor’s deliberate indifference to the realities of life for the 400,000 New […]