LDF Mourns the Loss of Joseph “Jazz” Hayden, Former Client and Trailblazing Advocate for Voting Rights of Incarcerated People

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The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is deeply saddened by the passing of Joseph “Jazz” Hayden, a former client of LDF and advocate for voting rights of current and formerly incarcerated people.  Hayden’s vision to end ...

Thurgood Marshall Institute Releases New Report Examining Black Student Outcomes During Pandemic

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Today, the Legal Defense Fund’s (LDF) Thurgood Marshall Institute released a new report, Beyond Learning Loss: Prioritizing the Needs of Black Students as Public Education Emerges from a Pandemic, authored by Senior Researcher Dr. Sandhya ...

LDF Issues Statement on One Year Anniversary of Tyre Nichols’ Death

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Today marks the one-year-anniversary of the brutal killing of Tyre Nichols by Memphis Police Department Officers that were part of the Scorpion unit, a now disbanded specialized unit with a track record of abuses. The ...

LDF Mourns the Loss of Dr. John Flateau, Esteemed Public Servant and Professor

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The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. John Flateau, a dedicated public servant, political strategist, and professor whose lifelong commitment to public service in New York City, including in ...

Legal Defense Fund Appoints Natalie Thigpen as Chief of Communications and Marketing Officer

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The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) has appointed Natalie Thigpen to serve as its Chief Communications and Marketing Officer (CCMO). Thigpen joins LDF from Summit Health and CityMD, where she was Senior Vice President for Culture, ...

Federal Court in Alabama Finds Lawsuit Challenging Racial Gerrymandering in Jefferson County Should Proceed Quickly to Trial

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Today, a federal court for the Northern District of Alabama denied a motion to dismiss and ruled that a lawsuit filed by the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) challenging the Jefferson County Commission’s 2021 redistricting plan ...

LDF Applauds the Department of Justice’s Creation of National Law Enforcement Accountability Database

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On Monday, as required by President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the launch of ...

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