Sunday, June 25, 2023 | news
Today marks 10 years since the Supreme Court’s decision to significantly weaken essential protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) in Shelby County v. Holder. In a decision Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg likened to throwing away an umbrella in a rainstorm, a majority of the Supreme Court held in 2013 that voting conditions […]
Thursday, February 21, 2019 | ldf-events
On, February 21st, LDF Board member, Robyn Coles, and friend of LDF, Pauletta Washington, hosted an evening of engagement featuring an intimate conversation with: Sherrilyn Ifill, LDF President and Director-Counsel Ta-Nehisi Coates, author and distinguished writer in residence at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author and MacArthur Foundation Fellow Of the […]
Monday, December 30, 2013 | news
2013 has been particularly eventful for those of us working to protect civil rights. LDF has been aggressively involved in safeguarding all Americans’ civil rights — in particular — the right to vote. Read below for a look back on this historic year. Protecting the right to vote in the wake of Shelby County, Alabama […]
Friday, September 21, 2012 | news
LDF’s Senior Community Advocate, Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele, and Dr. Khalilah L. Brown-Dean reflect on the first anniversary of Troy Davis’ execution and the continuing fight against the death penalty. The public’s response to Troy Davis’s plight reflects a persistent and troubling pattern among communities of color: intense organizing in response to overt instances of racial injustice […]
Friday, October 8, 2010 | case-update
Last evening, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rendered a decision in Farrakhan v. Gregoire that leaves a racially discriminatory disfranchisement law in place. LDF argued before the court in September on behalf of African-American, Latino, and Native American plaintiffs who had been denied the right to vote under Washington State’s law, which bars those […]
Thursday, October 9, 2025 | ldf-events
LDF Alumni Reception Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of the Legal Defense Fund October 9, 2025 New York City, NY We celebrate the power of connection across generations of Legal Defense Fund (LDF) alumni who have shaped our 85-year legacy. The Pioneer of Justice Award recipients reflect the brilliance, impact, and enduring spirit of the extraordinary […]
Thursday, May 17, 2018 | ldf-events
In 2018, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education turned 64. Brown invalidated racial segregation in public schools throughout the United States and paved the way for integration in nearly every aspect of American life. The case was litigated by some of the nation’s best attorneys, including Thurgood Marshall, Robert Carter, […]
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 | page
60 Years of Freedom Summer Legacies and Lessons from the Trailblazing Voting Rights Project By Gianna Baez Social Media Strategist It’s 1963 in Mississippi. Black people are paying poll taxes, taking literacy tests, losing their jobs, and facing threats and violence — all for trying to exercise their constitutional right to vote. To make matters […]
Monday, February 27, 2017 | news
60 Civil Rights Groups Urge DeVos to Select an Assistant Secretary who will Protect Civil Rights of All Students Read the PDF of our statement here. WASHINGTON – Today, 60 civil rights groups sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos emphasizing the importance of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil […]
Monday, June 20, 2011 | news
On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rebuffed a request to reconsider its prior ruling upholding the constitutionality of the admissions program utilized by the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) to assemble a diverse student body. Read full case update.
