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Commentary on ‘Fisher’: The importance of diversity within diversity

At yesterday’s oral argument, the Justices grappled with the University of Texas’s articulation of what I will call “diversity within diversity,” referring to the consideration of distinctive characteristics of individuals within underrepresented minority groups. On closer consideration, the University’s approach is fully consistent with the Supreme Court’s precedents, including Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) and Regents of the University […]

Comcast Corp. v. National Association of African American-Owned Media

SUPREME COURT DECISION In Comcast v. National Association of African American-Owned Media (NAAAOM), the United States Supreme Court ruled on March 23 2020 that it is not sufficient for plaintiffs to present factual allegations in their complaint showing the defendant was motivated by racial discrimination in denying a contract opportunity.  Under Section 1981, a plaintiff must now […]

Columbia Law School Graduate Liliana Zaragoza Joins NAACP Legal Defense Fund as Inaugural John Payton Appellate and Supreme Court Advocacy Fellow

Today, the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund (LDF) welcomes Columbia Law School Graduate Liliana Zaragoza as the first John Payton Appellate and Supreme Court Advocacy Fellow of the organization which turns 75 this year. Zaragoza was a 2013-2015 Skadden Fellow and Staff Attorney at the New York Legal Assistance Group and has been a longtime advocate for the […]

Columbia Law and Lawyers From Around the World Honor Greenberg

(Jack Greenberg and his wife Debbie are in the top left picture.) On Friday, January 24, Columbia Law School hosted a conference honoring Jack Greenberg’s indelible influence on the civil rights bar. Greenberg is the Alphonse Fletcher, Jr. Professor of Law at Columbia University and LDF’s second Director-Counsel from 1961-84. Greenberg first joined LDF in 1949 […]

Colorado Voting Rights Act

The Colorado Voting Rights Act (COVRA) Enacted: May 2025 The Colorado Voting Rights Act, Explained As Black voters face the greatest assault on voting rights since Jim Crow, Colorado has continued its progress in advancing the freedom to vote and joined the growing list of states protecting voters against unequal access to the ballot. In May […]

Colorado Appeals Court Rules for Same-Sex Couple Denied Wedding Cake

Yesterday, the Colorado Court of Appeals unanimously declared that a Colorado bakery’s refusal to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples violates Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA). This decision affirmed the May 2014 finding of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission that no person can be denied the full and equal enjoyment of places of public accommodation on […]

College affirmative action back on Supreme Court’s horizon

When the Supreme Court in 2003 narrowly approved the consideration of race in public university admission decisions, it came with loads of restrictions and a sort of expiration date. “We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today,” Justice Sandra Day […]

Colleen Foster

Cogdell v. Wet Seal

In 2012, LDF filed a class action lawsuit, Cogdell v. Wet Seal, alleging that top executives at Wet Seal directed senior managers to get rid of African American store management employees for the sake of its “brand image,” and to hire more white employees. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Orange County, California, alleges that […]

Cobb County Announces Changes to Early Voting Following Pressure from Voting Rights Advocates

Today, Georgia’s Cobb County Director of Elections & Registration, Janine Eveler, announced changes from the county’s original plan to close over half of its early voting sites ahead of the Jan. 5, 2021 runoff election, transitioning from eleven early voting sites used for the 2020 general election to only five locations for the runoff. Four […]