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Johnathan Smith op-ed in Houston Chronicle: “Past criminal history should not limit job opportunities”

On the heels of Target’s recent decision to “ban the box” and thus eliminate the question on employment applications that asks job seekers whether they have a criminal record, Johnathan Smith, Assistant Counsel of the Economic Justice Practice Group at LDF, published an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle that chastises Texas Attorney General Abbot’s lawsuit  […]

Johnathan Smith Condemns Credit Checks in Employment

Recently, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that businesses and other organizations can continue to consider credit scores in employment. As Johnathan Smith explains in an interview to Inside Counsel, this practice discriminates against job-seekers of color who are more likely than whites to face hardships, like student debt or medical loans, that lead […]

Johnathan Smith and Georgetown Honor 50th Anniversary of Civil Rights Act

Johnathan Smith delivered a keynote address at a church service held at St. William’s Chapel to honor Black History Month and the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The event was sponsored by the Minority Health Initiative Council at the School of Nursing & Health Studies. Johnathan Smith, JD, who serves as […]

John R. Stephens

John Payton’s Letter to the Editor

Re "Felons can't vote, and that's fair," Opinion, June 13 This September, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral argument in Farrakhan vs. Gregoire, a case challenging the validity of Washington state's felon disfranchisement law under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.

John Payton remarks at 2010 Urban League Centennial Convention

2010 National Urban League Centennial Conference “The Significance of the Education Catastrophe” John Payton July 28, 2010 John Payton, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., was invited to give remarks this week on the state of elementary and secondary education at the Centennial Conference of the National Urban League. […]

John Payton Posthumously Awarded Degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa by Georgetown School of Law

On May 20, 2012, Gay J. McDougall served as the 2012 Commencement speaker of Georgetown Law School. As the former United Nations Expert on Minorities, Ms. McDougall spoke to the importance of lawyers in ensuring that American society remains one of justice and equality for all people. As wife of the late, John Payton, President […]

John Payton Left a Lasting Mark

John Payton, who died on March 22 at the age of 65, had an infectious optimism and confidence that made all good things not simply possible but probable. As the leader of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc., John reset the odds in the fight for equality. Read the full tribute on TheRoot.com

John Payton In Memoriam

1946-2012 John Payton, the President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., and a tireless advocate for justice, equality, and opportunity, died March 22, 2012 after a brief illness. He was 65.   LDF is deeply saddened and mourns this tragic loss. John was the 6th leader of LDF, the nation’s first […]

John Payton and Marian Wright Edelman Join in Opposition to Harmful Education Bill

The leaders of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) and the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) have joined forces to oppose the “State and Local Funding Flexibility Act” – an education bill that would dismantle civil rights protections for poor students, students of color, English language learners and others. John Payton, President and Director-Counsel […]