Legal Defense Fund Profile picture
America's premier civil rights law organization fighting for racial justice through litigation, advocacy, & public education. Established in 1940.
Becky Werner Profile picture 1 subscribed
Aug 22, 2018 8 tweets 6 min read
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.
Aug 1, 2018 4 tweets 2 min read
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-…
Jul 18, 2018 4 tweets 3 min read
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.
Jul 17, 2018 4 tweets 2 min read
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….
Jul 13, 2018 4 tweets 2 min read
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…
Jul 8, 2018 4 tweets 4 min read
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 #SaveSCOTUS cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2015/06/28/don…
Jul 6, 2018 4 tweets 1 min read
Each pick on Trump’s shortlist of potential nominees earned a spot based on the extremist political agenda they will bring to our highest court. time.com/5330782/donald… We need a justice on the Supreme Court who understands the Constitution protects all of us, not just the wealthy and powerful.
Jul 4, 2018 5 tweets 3 min read
There may be no term in recent history that clearly demonstrates the importance of the Court’s composition more than this term. During the 2017-2018 #SCOTUS term we have seen a rollback in our civil rights:
slate.com/news-and-polit… ✔️Allowing #Ohio to proceed with a process to purge voters for failing to vote. #VotingRights #Husted
Jul 3, 2018 4 tweets 2 min read
Amy Coney Barrett's record makes very clear that workers’ rights, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, and voting rights would be at risk if she is confirmed as a #SCOTUS justice. #SaveSCOTUS #stopbarrett In June 2017, 3 judges on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a racial discrimination claim against AutoZone for allegedly assigning employees to stores based on race.
Jun 25, 2018 7 tweets 6 min read
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 In the #ShelbyCountyvHolder decision, #SCOTUS gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Section 5 acted as a crucial checkpoint for democracy, "stopping discriminatory voting laws before any election." #RestoreTheVote nytimes.com/2017/12/11/opi…
May 11, 2018 11 tweets 10 min read
This important conversation between @Sifill_LDF and @AriMelber (who's filling in for @Maddow tonight) will begin in 15 minutes.

Make sure you tune in to @MSNBC to learn more about how the Trump Administration is reshaping the federal judiciary. #CourtsMatter STARTING NOW! Turn your TV to @MSNBC to watch @Sifill_LDF break down the dangers of the Trump Administration appointing anti-civil rights judicial nominees like Wendy Vitter, Andrew Oldham, and Thomas Farr to lifetime seats on the federal bench. #CourtsMatter
Apr 2, 2018 10 tweets 5 min read
In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, AL.

From his jail cell, he wrote one of the most important indictments of American racism and moral complacency, "Letter From a Birmingham Jail." okra.stanford.edu/transcription/… LDF represented Dr. King throughout his years of leadership—during the 1963 Birmingham campaign, in Selma in 1965, and in many other places in the South.

In her book, LDF lawyer Constance Baker Motley recalled visiting Dr. King while he was detained in GA with Ralph Abernathy:
Nov 10, 2017 11 tweets 4 min read
1. Last year, LDF President and Director-Counsel @Sifill_LDF promised us all that, "The fight for justice will continue." It has. vimeo.com/191071370 2. As our freedoms face unprecedented challenges, LDF has been at the forefront in the fight for #CivilRights : nytimes.com/2017/04/10/us/…