Wednesday, September 10, 2025 | page
Political Participation: State Voting Rights Acts State Voting rights Acts Toolkit Use the resources below to protect Black voters and other voters of color in your state through a State VRA. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP via Getty Images) As voting rights are under attack nationwide, this toolkit provides resources for advocates, organizers, and […]
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 | news
(CALIFORNIA) – Today, the Stanford Law School’s Three Strikes Project, in collaboration with the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), launched an ambitious effort to combat racial discrimination in California’s criminal legal system. Relying on California’s Racial Justice Act, the Project filed petitions on behalf of 18 Black and Latino people who are serving life sentences for […]
Monday, October 1, 2012 | news
Picture this: You’ve worked hard all of your life. You have the grades and academic awards to prove it. You are recognized as one of the best students in your peer group. And you have the chance to apply for an educational opportunity that could change your life. But getting this opportunity requires that you […]
Tuesday, November 14, 2017 | news
Read a PDF of our statement here. Stafford County Circuit Court Declines Relief to Voters Unable to Certify Provisional Ballots Today, the Stafford County Circuit Court has declined to provide relief to voters who feared the Stafford County Electoral Board’s (SCEB) conflicting and misleading instructions would ultimately prevent their provisional ballots for last Tuesday’s election […]
Thursday, April 25, 2024 | page
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Tuesday, April 16, 2024 | page
LDF Leadership Janai Nelson President and Director-Counsel Sam Spital Associate Director-Counsel Todd Cox Associate Director-Counsel Pamela Giller Chief Development Officer Jin Hee Lee Director of Strategic Initiatives Aashka Merchant Chief of Staff Natalie Thigpen Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Laura Kadetsky Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Demetria McCain Director of Policy Tré Murphy Director […]
Wednesday, March 10, 2021 | case-issue
Case: Education, Environmental Justice Harris v. St. John The Baptist Parish School Board Challenging Environmentally Hazardous Conditions in St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools What’s at stake? The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) represents Black families in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana Public Schools fighting to ensure that their children receive a safe and […]
Tuesday, March 12, 2013 | news
On March 7, 2013, Rev. William A. “Bill” Lawson, Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza, and Rabbi Emeritus Samuel Karff eloquently explained how and why their commitments to faith and justice motivated them to speak out and publicly ask the Harris County District Attorney to ensure that Duane Buck — who was sentenced to death in […]
Monday, May 12, 2014 | news
In a piece for the American Constitution Society’s blog, Vincent Southerland argues that “criminal justice reforms need to be driven by the moral imperative of repairing all that is wrong with the current system.” Reforms to our criminal legal system, while welcome, are largely driven by financial incentives and budgetary concerns. For example, the organization […]
Thursday, January 22, 2015 | news
LDF Senior Counsel Vincent Southerland speaks with St. Louis Public Radio about the LDF letter to Judge Maura McShane. The letter requested an appropriate and thorough investigation of the grand jury proceedings of former Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson. LDF since received a letter from Paul Fox, the Director of Judicial Administration at the […]
