Nashville, TN – A federal judge in Tennessee rejected Tennessee’s attempt to dismiss the complaint brought by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, pro bono counsel Hogan Lovells/US, and partners that challenges the state’s new law restricting the ability of civic engagement organizations such the plaintiffs and to help prospective voters register to vote, engage in conversations about the importance of voting and political participation, and mobilize underrepresented communities in the state.
“Tennessee’s law is one of the most restrictive voter suppression measures that we have seen this year. This is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to discourage and deter people from helping others to register to vote,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “There is no basis for the law’s draconian provisions that will chill basic First Amendment rights. Judge Trauger reached a timely and prudent decision evident in a 34-page memorandum that denies Defendants’ motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ complaint.”
Tennessee had attacked the complaint on many bases, primarily arguing that it was too early for plaintiffs to sue because the law did not take effect until October 1, 2019. In rejecting Tennessee’s argument, Judge Aleta A. Trauger of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee wrote: “The burdens created by the Act are no less real simply because the Act is allowing a grace period to elapse before its requirements take effect. The Act is not just a speculative possibility; it is the law.”
Plaintiffs in the case, which alleges that the Law’s requirements violate their First Amendment rights of speech and association are the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP, Democracy Nashville-Democratic Communities, The Equity Alliance, and The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Plaintiffs register prospective voters in underserved communities by meeting them where they are — at places of worship, laundromats, clubs, music festivals, athletic events, and on school campuses. They believe that registering to vote is a necessary step to voting and participating in the nation’s democracy.
A copy of the Court’s decision can be read here.
About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. Now in its 56th year, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is continuing its quest to “Move America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights.
Contact
Reynolds Graves, Lawyers’ Committee, RGraves@LawyersCommittee.org, 202-662-8375
