On this fifth anniversary of the #ShelbyCountyvHolder decision and today's ruling in #AbbottvPerez—another voting rights decision that comes at a "serious cost" to our democracy—take some time to read our "Democracy Diminished" report: bit.ly/2KiTaVD. #RestoreTheVote
Since #ShelbyCountyvHolder, LDF has been monitoring state & local threats to voting, paying close attention to the states & localities that previously had to seek pre-approval of any voting changes as had been required by a fully-functioning #VRA. #RestoreTheVote
In the #ShelbyCountyvHolder ruling’s aftermath, more than two dozen states have passed #votersuppression laws that make it harder to vote and which would've been blocked by a fully-functioning Voting Rights Act. #RestoreTheVote
The Shelby decision left states like AL, TX & NC free to test the limits of voter suppression. In fact, the day after the decision, North Carolina lawmakers began working on voter suppression measures that “targete[ed] African Americans with almost surgical precision.”
Today’s decision in #AbbottvPerez, #SCOTUS permitted TX to use electoral maps tainted w/racial discrimination. The ruling is proof positive that the Shelby decision left voters of color less protected from voting discrimination. Read our statement here: bit.ly/2MYo4kC.
We remain vigilant of discriminatory voting changes, but until the Voting Rights Act is restored to its full strength, we must all play a vigilant role in protecting our democracy from voting discrimination.
For months, we've consistently cautioned that the Senate must #PressPause on considering President Trump's SCOTUS nominee until the Special Counsel's investigation ends.
Our country benefits when every individual has a fair shot to climb up the ladder to opportunity. Prior experiments have demonstrated that race-neutral admissions alone are insufficient to achieve meaningful diversity and opportunity on college campuses. psmag.com/education/can-…
California banned the consideration of race in college admissions, the percentage of African-American admitted freshmen dropped by about half at California’s flagship schools, UCLA and UC Berkeley. ppic.org/blog/race-and-…
After Michigan’s ban, the University of Michigan saw the percentage of enrolled African-American undergraduate students declined by about a third from 2006 with the number hovering around 4.5% for the past five years.
Today we humbly honor the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa, and a leader in the struggle against racial oppression and apartheid. He dedicated his life to building a better world based on racial equality and justice. #Mandela100
At the request of former President Mandela, LDF's fifth Director-Counsel Ted Shaw led several delegations to South Africa. Mr. Mandela asked LDF to help train Black South African lawyers, because there was no history of experience with constitutional litigation, in South Africa.
Mr. Mandela's speech from the dock in his trial at Rivonia in 1964 remains one of the most powerful, moving and riveting public statements of personal commitment to the fight for justice and equality. #Mandela100#MandelaDay
Four years to the day, we mourn the loss of #EricGarner, a faithful father, husband, and friend. He was 43 at the time of his death. #OTD
Garner was killed by a NYPD Officer Pantaleo who placed him in a chokehold in violation of departmental policies. nytimes.com/2015/06/14/nyr….
Just yesterday, the the #NYPD finally announced it will be moving forward with holding Officer Pantaleo accountable for using a banned chokehold and killing #EricGarner. This is long, long overdue. nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-me…
In 2015, Sandra Bland died in police custody at the Waller County, TX jail following her arrest during a traffic stop. Our thoughts are with her family. #OTD
Bland was on a "road trip to start a new job" when she was stopped by a police officer for not using a turn signal. She was found dead in her jail cell 3 days later. Officials alleged she committed suicide, but her family asserts she wasn't depressed. theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
The former officer involved in her arrest was charged with perjury for making a false statement about the arrest. The charges were dropped after he agreed to surrender his law enforcement license and never work as an officer again. google.com/amp/www.latime…
The President who will nominate this person is under a cloud. It would be tragic for the President to nominate someone and then for the Mueller investigation to reveal itself to implicate him. #SCOTUSnominee#CourtsMatter#WhatsAtStake
Every name on Trump’s SCOTUS shortlist passed Trump’s litmus test—Roe v. Wade. We cannot afford a justice who places partisan politics over people. We need a justice who has advocated for civil rights, not against them. #WhatsAtStake#SaveSCOTUScnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2015/06/28/don…
We have seen the extreme jurisprudence of Justice Gorsuch – who was President Trump’s first nominee for the Court. We can have no confidence that President Trump will present a nominee with a record of commitment to racial equality and justice.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/opi…