Newsroom
Welcome to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Newsroom. This page contains our press releases, news clips and blog posts.
We have subject matter experts on civil rights issues ready to handle inquiries from journalists on such issues as voting rights, criminal justice, economic justice, fair housing, educational opportunity, racial justice matters and more.
Looking to arrange an interview or book a speaker? Contact press@lawyerscommittee.org
Search our Newsroom:
Lawyers’ Committee Praises President Biden’s Commutations of 37 Federal Death Sentences
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued this statement in response to the announcement that President Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 individuals on the federal death row....
Lawyers’ Committee Recognizes Paul, Weiss LLC with its Annual Pro Bono Award for Work Against Hate and Announces New Board Members
WASHINGTON—The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law honored the outstanding pro bono service and stellar commitment to advancing equity and also welcomed new members to its storied Board of Directors during its annual board meeting and awards reception,...
Lawyers’ Committee Recognizes House Taskforce AI Report Recommendations and Urges Congress to Pass Policies Which Protect Civil Rights From AI Abuses
WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, House AI task force co-chairs Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) released the Bipartisan House Task Force report on Artificial Intelligence. The report makes clear that Congress has a role and responsibility to...
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Defends Diversity Grant Program that Levels the Playing Field for Small Business Owners
WASHINGTON— On Wednesday, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and a coalition of five prominent civil rights groups filed an amicus brief in Alexandre et. al v. Amazon, defending a private grant program designed to...
Legacy Civil Rights Leaders Applaud President Biden’s Historic Action on Clemency, Urge Further Action to Solidify His Racial Justice Legacy
WASHINGTON, DC (December 12, 2024) - The heads of eight legacy civil rights organizations commend President Joe Biden for his unwavering commitment to racial equity and congratulate him on today’s historic decision to commute the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals...
Civil Rights Champion Sparkle Sooknanan Confirmed as Federal Judge
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement in reaction to the United States Senate’s vote to confirm Sparkle Sooknanan as a federal judge for the...
Lawyers’ Committee Releases Statement Condemning Reported Deal to Abandon Nominations of Federal Appeals Court Judges
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued this statement in response to reports that the Senate will not conduct a vote on four federal circuit court judge nominees leaving positions...
Lawyers’ Committee Urges Senators to Confirm Federal Judge Nominee Sparkle Sooknanan
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law urges Senators to approve the nomination of Sparkle Sooknanan to the United States District Court of the District of Columbia. Statement from Alex Ault, policy counsel at the...
Lawyers’ Committee Releases Statement Condemning Dismantle DEI Act
WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, the Dismantle DEI Act is scheduled for markup in the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. The Act, which was introduced by incoming Vice-President Senator J.D. Vance and Congressman Michael Cloud, aims to ban diversity,...
Lawyers’ Committee Releases Statement Denouncing HR 9495
WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law released the following statement from its President and Executive Director, Damon T. Hewitt, on H.R. 9495 in Congress. The proposed bill, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American...
We Will Not Back Down — Our Fight for Justice is More Urgent Than Ever
Yesterday’s election results confirmed a critical truth: our democracy and hard-fought rights are under attack. With Donald Trump poised to assume the presidency again, many of us are rightfully concerned about an agenda that threatens to roll back progress,...
LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS RESPONDS TO GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS
WASHINGTON D.C. – As called by the Associated Press, Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. In response to this news, Damon T. Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, released the...
Federal Court Decision Means Absentee Ballots Hand-Delivered in Georgia Over the Weekend Will be Counted
A federal court today denied the request by the Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party for a preliminary injunction that could have stopped the counting of absentee ballots that were hand-delivered to the county elections' offices...
Voting Rights and Virginia Immigrant Rights Groups Outraged at SCOTUS Decision Allowing Virginia to Purge Eligible Voters
A recording of a press conference on this matter can be found here. Washington, DC—Immigrant rights and voting rights organizations are disappointed and alarmed the United States Supreme Court has allowed Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to wrongfully...
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Ruling to Stop Virginia’s Voter Purge
On Sunday the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Friday ruling that stopped Virginia’s unlawful voter purge program. Virginia was sued because its purge program disenfranchised new citizens and other eligible voters. The plaintiffs are Virginia...