Thursday, January 15, 2015 | news
House Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) said this morning that it is “not necessary” to fix the Voting Rights Act. But, the unfair burdens placed on African-American and other voters since the Supreme Court’s devastating Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder decision in 2013 illustrate that Chairman Goodlatte is deeply mistaken. In 2013, the Supreme […]
Wednesday, July 27, 2016 | news
Today, Baltimore prosecutors dropped all charges filed against the remaining three Baltimore police officers pending trial for their involvement in the police in-custody death of Freddie Gray, an unarmed Black man. “We are deeply disappointed that no one has been held responsible for the in-custody death of Freddie Gray,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel […]
Friday, January 19, 2024 | news
Yesterday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a scathing report about the failures of the Uvalde Police Department during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which resulted in the deaths of 19 children, 2 teachers, and the wounding of 17 others. In response to this report, Legal Defense Fund (LDF) […]
Friday, October 9, 2020 | news
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Yale University after the school refused to refrain from considering race in its 2020-21 admissions cycle and to seek prior approval from DOJ before considering race in any future admissions cycle, as demanded by DOJ in a letter, dated August 13, 2020. On August […]
Thursday, June 20, 2019 | news
Read a PDF of our statement here. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) condemns the actions of the Phoenix Police Department in a recently released video in which officers held Dravon Ames, his pregnant fiancée Iesha Harper, and their two children—a one-year-old and four-year-old— at gunpoint and threatened to kill Mr. Ames […]
Tuesday, April 18, 2023 | news
Today, the New York City Department of Investigation’s (DOI) Office of the Inspector General for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) released a report examining the NYPD’s use and operation of its Criminal Group Database, otherwise known as the “gang” database. Through this database, NYPD officers label thousands of Black and Brown New Yorkers […]
Tuesday, April 25, 2017 | news
NAACP Legal Defense Fund Responds to Decision in Key Alabama Desegregation Case Read a PDF of our statement here. Late yesterday, a federal judge ruled that the city of Gardendale, Alabama, sought to intentionally discriminate against Black students in seeking to separate its schools from the school district in surrounding Jefferson County. However, the judge […]
Tuesday, March 27, 2018 | news
The U.S. Commerce Secretary has announced a plan to add a citizenship status question to the 2020 Census. LDF Senior Counsel Leah Aden issued the following statement: “The decision to include a question about citizenship status on the 2020 Census is the absolute wrong move and greatly interferes with the Census Bureau’s obligation to conduct a fair and accurate Census count. In […]
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 | news
Yesterday, Attorney General William Barr made highly disturbing remarks during his speech at an awards ceremony honoring law enforcement officers for distinguished service. In his address, Mr. Barr stated that communities that do not show more respect and support to law enforcement officers “might find themselves without the police protection they need.” His remarks reaffirm […]
Friday, July 8, 2016 | news
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) grieves, along with the nation, last night’s devastating events in Dallas, Texas where a mass shooting on law enforcement took place in a week already filled with tremendous tragedy and loss. During peaceful protests in response to the recent fatal shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile near St. Paul, Minnesota, sniper […]
