Wednesday, May 24, 2017 | news
Washington, D.C. – The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) calls on Congress to reject the President’s proposed fiscal year 2018 budget for the Education Department. The budget drastically cuts funding intended to support the academic achievement of low-income public school students, many of whom are students of color. Among other initiatives, the budget […]
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 | news
LDF and 151 national, state, and local organizations sent a letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership urging them to protect the civil rights of Washington, D.C. residents, and the ability of D.C. to self-govern, by rejecting federal legislation that undermines its democratic institutions or revokes laws duly approved by D.C. voters or representatives. The […]
Friday, November 14, 2025 | news
This week, the longest running federal government shutdown officially ended — lasting a total of 43 days. This shutdown was the result of a failure of congressional leadership to address the critical issues — including health care costs — that disproportionately impact Black people. Thousands of Black federal workers were furloughed or forced to work […]
Thursday, May 7, 2020 | news
Yesterday, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) sent a letter to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson requesting he implement a statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures to protect Arkansas’s most vulnerable households facing extreme economic distress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic Arkansas is one of only a handful of states that […]
Monday, April 19, 2021 | case-issue
On April 23, 2021, LDF called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to suspend federal funding to local law enforcement agencies until the Department of Justice can ensure that agencies receiving grants and funding from the DOJ are not violating the anti-discrimination provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Every year, law enforcement agencies […]
Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | news
Today’s determination by the Department of Justice that the Ferguson Police Department has engaged in a pattern and practice of racial discrimination vindicates the on-going advocacy efforts by protesters, civil rights activists and residents of Ferguson for fundamental top-to-bottom change in the city’s law enforcement practices. The killing of African-American teenager Michael Brown by white […]
Friday, May 19, 2023 | news
This Saturday, May 20, 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)’s enactment. The NVRA aims to increase voting access by stipulating specific requirements for state governments to expand voter registration, a fundamental aspect of ensuring full political participation. Along with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the NVRA has been […]
Friday, March 3, 2017 | news
Read a PDF of our statement here. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. issued the following statement calling for a special prosecutor to investigate Attorney General Sessions and Russian involvement in the 2016 Presidential Campaign The Legal Defense Fund urges Acting Attorney General Boente to appoint an independent special counsel to investigate […]
Friday, February 1, 2019 | news
A medical school yearbook page belonging to Virginia Governor Ralph Northam surfaced today showing a photograph of two men, one in blackface and one in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood. Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), issued the following statement calling for Governor Northam’s resignation. […]
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 | news
The Legal Defense Fund today called for the withdrawal of Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon from consideration. LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement: “Linda McMahon’s views on education policy are extreme and pose a major threat to our public education system. The America First Policy Institute, which McMahon co-founded and for […]
