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The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, or simply the Lawyers' Committee, is a
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...
organization founded in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy. At the time, Alabama Governor
George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist a ...
had vowed to resist court-ordered desegregation of the University of Alabama. Voting rights activist
Medgar Evers Medgar Wiley Evers (; July 2, 1925June 12, 1963) was an American civil rights activist and the NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi, who was murdered by Byron De La Beckwith. Evers, a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran who had served i ...
was assassinated inside his home in Mississippi on June 11. These events galvanized private lawyers to call for officials to commit to the rule of law. These events also prompted President Kennedy to call for private lawyers to do more to defend the civil rights of Black citizens, with Evers' assassination amounting to the last straw. The organization's long-standing mission is to secure equal justice for all through the rule of law by enlisting the leadership of the private bar. While the Lawyers' Committee works to stop all civil rights violations, the majority of its work targets the inequities that primarily confront African Americans, and other people of color. When the Lawyers' Committee was created, its existence was a major change in how the bar and how local and state judiciaries were able to help oppressed racial minorities during the civil rights movement. The organization called on the private bar to bring its resources to bear on the major civil rights problems beleaguering the nation; some of its earliest leaders included Bernard G. Segal,
Harrison Tweed Harrison Tweed (October 18, 1885 – June 16, 1969) was an American lawyer and civic leader. Life and career Tweed was born in New York City on October 18, 1885. He was the son of Charles Harrison Tweed, the general counsel for the Central Pacif ...
,
Lloyd Cutler Lloyd Norton Cutler (November 10, 1917 – May 8, 2005) was an American attorney who served as White House Counsel during the Democratic administrations of Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Early life and education Cutler was bo ...
, Cecil Burney, Berl Bernhard, and John Doyle. During a historic June 21, 1963 meeting at the White House, 244 lawyers filled the East Room of the White House. Vice President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
spoke to the lawyers about the discrimination he witnessed first-hand in the South and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy argued that lawyers had a unique role to play advancing civil rights for African Americans because of the oath that lawyers swore to uphold the constitution. At the end of the meeting, Bernard Segal and
Harrison Tweed Harrison Tweed (October 18, 1885 – June 16, 1969) was an American lawyer and civic leader. Life and career Tweed was born in New York City on October 18, 1885. He was the son of Charles Harrison Tweed, the general counsel for the Central Pacif ...
volunteered to lead the committee of lawyers, starting with those assembled at the White House. The organization has assisted with some major civil rights advancements over the years, including significant amendments to the
Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights m ...
that were made in 1982; it has also had substantial impact to civil rights legislation, including
Executive Order 11246 Executive Order 11246, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 24, 1965, established requirements for non-discriminatory practices in hiring and employment on the part of U.S. government contractors. It "prohibits federal contractors a ...
—preventing employers from discriminating based on race—and a number of voting rights cases. Since its creation, the Lawyers' Committee has served as an expert on civil rights matters, often testifying before Congress and issuing public statements on pressing civil rights challenges. There are eight local affiliates of the Lawyers' Committee: Boston, Massachusetts (created in 1968);
Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
(created in 1969);
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
(created in 1978);
Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...
(created in 1965);
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
, California (created in 1970);
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
(created in 1969);
San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
(created in 1968); and the District of Columbia (created in 1968). Each affiliate is independently funded and governed, and together with the national Lawyers' Committee, they work on both national and state policy issues.


History

During a June 21, 1963, meeting at the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
, in the midst of the
American civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United ...
, President John F. Kennedy suggested the formation of a group of lawyers to counter and reduce racial tensions by way of volunteer citizen actions."Lawyers Asked to Aid Integration"
Associated Press, ''Lakeland Ledger'', August 14, 1963, p. 3.
On July 10, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights under Law was publicly announced. The first co-chairs of the Committee were two well-known figures in the civil rights and legal fields, Bernard Segal and
Harrison Tweed Harrison Tweed (October 18, 1885 – June 16, 1969) was an American lawyer and civic leader. Life and career Tweed was born in New York City on October 18, 1885. He was the son of Charles Harrison Tweed, the general counsel for the Central Pacif ...
.Weart, William G
"100 Lawyers Join New Rights Group"
''The New York Times'', July 11, 1963, p. 17.
Over a hundred lawyers volunteered to serve in the organization, with both white and black attorneys being represented. Membership also included five past presidents of the
American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...
and four members of its board, as well as twelve current presidents of state bar associations, and officials from the NAACP and its legal defense fund. On August 9, 1963, the group officially registered as a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. Its first executive director, David Stahl, was named in December 1963. The group's first goal was to counter legal efforts to preserve
segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of humans ...
in Mississippi. The Mississippi office of the organization opened on June 14, 1965, with a mission of getting the bar to take on the professional responsibility for leading the American civil rights movement and providing legal services where they would otherwise be unavailable.


Projects

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is structured around a number of projects that it operates on an ongoing basis: * The Criminal Justice Project * The Economic Justice Project * The Educational Opportunities Project *The
Election Protection Election Protection is an American non-partisan coalition of voting rights activists. The English language hotline is managed by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, or simply the La ...
coalition * The Fair Housing and Community Development Project * The Special Litigation and Advocacy Project * The James Byrd, Jr. Center to Stop Hate Project * The Voting Rights Project


Notable cases


Voting rights

''Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law v. Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity'' ''Georgia Coalition for the Peoples' Agenda, Inc. et al v. Kemp'' In October 2018, the Lawyers' Committee and its partners filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State
Brian Kemp Brian Porter Kemp (born November 2, 1963) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 83rd governor of Georgia since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Kemp served as the 27th secretary of state of Georgia from 2010 to ...
over the state of Georgia's “exact match” policy. The suit alleged that the policy violates the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, and the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.


Education

''The Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education v. Maryland Higher Education Commission'' Beginning in 2000, Maryland failed to meet agreements with the U.S. Department of Education's
Office for Civil Rights The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Education that is primarily focused on enforcing civil rights laws prohibiting schools from engaging in discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, se ...
regarding funding for
historically black colleges and universities Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...
(HBCUs). The Lawyers' Committee and partners sued, alleging that
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
has failed to dismantle the vestiges of segregation from its prior de jure system of higher education. ''Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College et al'' The Lawyers' Committee joined this lawsuit with an amicus brief in support of Harvard's admissions process. The lawsuit was intended to dismantle affirmative action, and the Lawyers' Committee's clients—a group of diverse current, former, and potential students of Harvard—were granted special status to testify in court. ''Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v.
University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC S ...
, et al'' The Lawyers' Committee joined this other anti-affirmative action lawsuit with an amicus brief in support of UNC's admissions process.


Hate crimes

''Taylor Dumpson v. Brian Andrew Ade et al'' The Lawyers' Committee represented Taylor Dumpson, an
American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was cha ...
student who was targeted in a hate crime on her first day in office as the university's first ever female African-American student body president.


Census

''City of San Jose v. Ross'' The Lawyers' Committee and partners filed a lawsuit to prevent Secretary of Commerce
Wilbur Ross Wilbur Louis Ross Jr. (born November 28, 1937) is an American businessman who served as the 39th United States Secretary of Commerce from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Ross was previously chairman and chief executive officer ...
from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, as experts believe such a question would chill responses and lower crucial funding.


Criminal justice

''Dade et al v. Sherwood Arkansas, City of et al'' The Lawyers' Committee, in partnership with the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
, filed a lawsuit on behalf of five residents of
Sherwood Sherwood may refer to: Places Australia *Sherwood, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane * Sherwood, South Australia, a locality *Shire of Sherwood, a former local government area of Queensland * Electoral district of Sherwood, an electoral district fr ...
,
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
, to end a bad checks court system that imprisoned people for writing "hot checks". ''Joseph Allen et al v.
John Bel Edwards John Bel Edwards (born September 16, 1966) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 56th governor of Louisiana since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Democratic leader of the Louisiana House of ...
et al''Joseph Allen et al v. John Bel Edwards et al
(2017 CW 1581)
The Lawyers' Committee and partners filed a lawsuit to fix the Louisiana court system that was denying poor people their constitutional right to counsel.


Notable alumni and associated persons

* John F. Kennedy *
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (January 2, 1898 – November 1, 1989), was a pioneering Black professional and civil rights activist of the early-to-mid-20th century. In 1921, Mossell Alexander was the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. i ...
* Barbara Arnwine * Jacqueline A. Berrien *
Cornell William Brooks Cornell William Brooks (born 1961) is an American lawyer and activist. He was chosen to be the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in May 2014. He previously served as president of thNew Jersey Ins ...
* John J. Conyers Jr. * Anita Earls *
William L. Marbury Jr. William Luke Marbury Jr. (September 12, 1901 – March 5, 1988) was a prominent 20th-century American lawyer who practiced with his family's law firm of Marbury, Miller & Evans (later Piper & Marbury, Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe, Piper Rudnick ...
*
Gay McDougall Gay Johnson McDougall (born August 13, 1947, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American lawyer who has spent her career addressing international human rights and racial discrimination. She is currently a Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the Leitner ...
*
Milan C. Miskovsky Milan Carl Miskovsky (May 11, 1926 – October 15, 2009) was an American who served as a member of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He helped negotiate the release of Gary Powers in 1962 and over 1,000 prisoners captured during the 1961 Ba ...
* James Robertson *
David S. Tatel David S. Tatel (born March 16, 1942) is an American lawyer who serves as a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Education and career Tatel received his Bachelor of Arts ...


See also

*
Election Protection Election Protection is an American non-partisan coalition of voting rights activists. The English language hotline is managed by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, or simply the La ...


References


External links

* {{authority control 1963 establishments in Washington, D.C. Civil rights organizations in the United States Legal advocacy organizations in the United States History of voting rights in the United States Organizations established in 1963