Saturday, August 23, 2025 | news
Today, the Texas Legislature passed a new congressional map that further weakens electoral opportunities for Black Texans and other voters of color in the state. The Legislature forced this map through a rushed and non-transparent legislative process, denying the public meaningful opportunities to understand the proposed map and participate in the process. The overwhelming majority […]
Friday, June 13, 2025 | news
Tomorrow, on Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, a $45 million parade will be held in Washington, D.C., to celebrate President Trump’s birthday. In response, Legal Defense Fund (LDF) President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson made the following statement: “Tomorrow, we should be honoring our service members and reflecting on their sacrifices […]
Thursday, April 10, 2025 | news
Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) urges the U.S. Senate to reject the misleadingly entitled “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act”, a disastrous, discriminatory, inefficient, and unnecessary bill passed by the House that would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters and upend Congress’ historic role of protecting the freedom to vote rather than suppressing it. The […]
Thursday, December 4, 2014 | news
The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund roundly condemns the non-indictment of Staten Island police officer Daniel Pantaleo. In a horrifying display of police brutality, captured on video, Officer Pantaleo choked Eric Garner to death while trying to arrest him for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. The vicious act was captured on videotape as onlookers, including […]
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | news
Last week, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a congressional map that intentionally diminishes Black voting power. This will be North Carolina’s fifth congressional map to be enacted in this decade, and the Governor has zero veto power over the decision. North Carolina is home to over 1.7 million eligible Black voters — and this […]
Monday, October 6, 2025 | news
Last week, the Missouri Governor enacted a congressional map that intentionally diminishes Black voting power in the state. The new map clearly targets Missouri’s 5th congressional district, which has provided electoral opportunities to Black voters for decades. It does so by intentionally splitting District 5, which formerly encompassed all of Kansas City, into three separate […]
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | news
Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it would be moving to dismiss two consent decrees in connection with court oversight of law enforcement agencies in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Louisville, Kentucky. These consent decrees aimed to remedy widespread constitutional violations that were uncovered after extensive DOJ investigations following the police killings of George Floyd and […]
Wednesday, September 3, 2025 | news
Yesterday, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an executive order that indefinitely extends cooperation between the District of Columbia and a number of federal law enforcement agencies to continue their enhanced law enforcement efforts in the District. This development comes despite the fact that recent polling by The Washington Post shows that these aggressive tactics […]
Wednesday, June 4, 2025 | news
Today, the House of Representatives’ Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce held a hearing that purported to investigate the use of federal funds by nonprofit organizations. In reality, it was a politically motivated spectacle filled with falsehoods and baseless attacks on civil society. In response, Legal Defense Fund (LDF) Director-Counsel Janai S. […]
Saturday, February 2, 2019 | news
News reports indicate that over a thousand inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, have been living without adequate heat, hot water, and electricity in their cells. It also appears that the power outages have prevented inmates from communicating with relatives and placing requests for prescription refills. Samuel Spital, Director of Litigation […]
