Friday, October 11, 2019 | news
We are thrilled to share that our President and Director-Counsel, Sherrilyn Ifill, has been inducted into the 239th Class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on October 12, 2019 for her extraordinary work in civil rights. The American Academy of Arts of Sciences has as their mission: “Founded in 1780, the American Academy […]
Thursday, October 22, 2020 | staff
Amber M. Koonce is an Assistant Counsel. She joins LDF from Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, where she maintained an active pro bono practice as a Litigation Associate. Amber previously clerked for the Hon. William A. Fletcher on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and worked as a Luce Scholar […]
Monday, January 29, 2024 | staff
Amalea Smirniotopoulos is a Senior Policy Counsel and Co-Manager of LDF’s Equal Protection Initiative, an interdisciplinary project that brings together litigation, policy, communications, organizing, and research to defend and expand programs that create equal opportunity for Black communities. In her role as Senior Policy Counsel, Amalea works on fair housing, fair lending, employment discrimination, anti-poverty […]
Thursday, December 1, 2016 | news
Leaders to Hold Press Conference today at Supreme Court, Deliver Letters to Senators Today, almost 150 national civil rights and progressive groups are jointly announcing their opposition to nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions to lead the Justice Department. They are delivering letters to every member of the Senate today. “Senator Sessions has a 30-year record of […]
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 | staff
Allison Scharfstein is an Education Fellow with LDF. She graduated magna cum laude from New York University School of Law in 2021. During law school, Allison participated in NYU’s Civil Rights, Racial Justice, and Housing Law clinics. She also interned at LDF and in the Family Defense Practice of Brooklyn Defender Services. Allison served as […]
Tuesday, July 27, 2021 | case-issue
This case arises out of the deployment of pepper spray by the Graham Police Department and Alamance County Sheriff’s Office on peaceful protestors on October 31, 2020. Protesters had been demonstrating in Graham, North Carolina as part of the “I am Change: Legacy March to the Polls” (the “March”), which was organized to encourage “people […]
Monday, December 7, 2020 | case-issue
In fall 2018, LDF and Norton Rose Fulbright filed a lawsuit against Waller County on behalf of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) student voters, alleging that the county discriminated against them by adopting and maintaining an early voting schedule for the November 2018 election that limited their access to early voting. Since 2018, Waller has […]
Thursday, October 6, 2022 | page
The Supreme Court and Redistricting: LDF’s Work to Safeguard the VRA and Black Political Power By Ella Wiley Former Senior Communications Associate On June 8, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Allen v. Milligan, (formerly known as Merrill v. Milligan) and upheld the previous unanimous district court’s determination that Alabama’s maps violate Section […]
Friday, September 30, 2022 | case-issue
Allen v. Milligan FAQ LDF’s Case Challenging Alabama’s Redistricting Maps and Why it Matters On June 8, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Allen v. Milligan. In a historic win for voting rights, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Allen v. Milligan in favor of Black voters, affirming the district court’s order […]
Thursday, December 2, 2021 | case-issue
Case: Political Participation Allen v. Milligan* Challenging Alabama’s discriminatory redistricting maps Supreme Court Argument: Oct. 4, 2022Decision: June 8, 2023 On June 8, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Allen v. Milligan. In a historic win for voting rights, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Black voters, affirming the district court’s order […]
