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Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Lawyers Committee logo.jpg
Founded 21 June 1963
Type Nonpartisan
Focus Civil rights and voting rights
Location
Area served
 United States
Members
 220
Key people
 Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, often called the Lawyers' Committee, is an American organization that works to protect civil rights. It was started in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy.

When the Lawyers' Committee began, it changed how lawyers and judges could help people who faced unfair treatment, especially during the American civil rights movement. The group asked private lawyers to use their skills to solve big civil rights problems across the country. Some of its first leaders included Bernard G. Segal and Harrison Tweed.

On June 21, 1963, 244 lawyers met at the White House. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke about the unfair treatment he had seen. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy said lawyers had a special role because they promise to follow the Constitution. After the meeting, Bernard Segal and Harrison Tweed agreed to lead the new committee.

Over the years, the Lawyers' Committee has helped make important changes in civil rights. This includes big updates to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in 1982. They also helped with laws like Executive Order 11246, which stops employers from treating people unfairly because of their race. They have also worked on many important voting rights cases. Since it started, the Lawyers' Committee has been an expert on civil rights. They often speak to Congress and share their views on important civil rights issues.

The Lawyers' Committee has eight local groups in different cities:

Each local group gets its own money and makes its own rules. Together with the national Lawyers' Committee, they work on issues for both the country and individual states.

How the Lawyers' Committee Started

On June 21, 1963, during the American civil rights movement, President John F. Kennedy suggested creating a group of lawyers. He wanted them to help reduce racial tensions through volunteer actions. On July 10, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law was officially announced.

The first leaders were Bernard Segal and Harrison Tweed, who were well-known in law and civil rights. More than a hundred lawyers volunteered, including both white and Black attorneys. The group also included past presidents of the American Bar Association. On August 9, 1963, the group officially became a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C.. Its first leader, David Stahl, was chosen in December 1963.

The group's first main goal was to fight legal efforts to keep segregation (keeping people of different races separate) in Mississippi. The Mississippi office opened on June 14, 1965. Its goal was to get lawyers to take on the job of leading the civil rights movement. They also wanted to provide legal help where it was not available.

At that time, Alabama Governor George Wallace had promised to stop the University of Alabama from allowing Black students. Voting rights activist Medgar Evers was killed in his home in Mississippi on June 11. These events made private lawyers demand that officials follow the law. These events also made President Kennedy ask private lawyers to do more to defend the civil rights of Black citizens. Evers' death was a final push.

The organization's long-term goal is to make sure everyone has equal justice under the law. They do this by getting private lawyers to help. While the Lawyers' Committee works to stop all civil rights problems, most of its work focuses on unfairness that mainly affects African Americans and other people of color.

What the Lawyers' Committee Does

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law works through several ongoing projects:

  • The Criminal Justice Project
  • The Economic Justice Project
  • The Educational Opportunities Project
  • The Election Protection 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

Important Legal Cases

Protecting Voting Rights

The Lawyers' Committee has been involved in many important cases about 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 sued Secretary of State Brian Kemp in Georgia. They argued that Georgia's "exact match" policy was unfair. This policy required voter registration information to exactly match other records. The lawsuit said this policy broke laws like the Voting Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act. It also said it went against the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

Working for Fair Education

The Lawyers' Committee also works on cases related to education.

  • The Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education v. Maryland Higher Education Commission

Since 2000, Maryland had not followed agreements with the U.S. Department of Education about funding for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). These are colleges created to serve Black students. The Lawyers' Committee and its partners sued. They said Maryland had not fully ended the effects of segregation in its higher education system.

  • Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College et al

The Lawyers' Committee joined this lawsuit to support Harvard's admissions process. This lawsuit aimed to stop "affirmative action," which is a policy that tries to make sure colleges and workplaces are fair for people from different backgrounds. The Lawyers' Committee's clients, who were diverse students, were allowed to speak in court.

The Lawyers' Committee also joined this lawsuit, which also aimed to stop affirmative action. They supported the University of North Carolina's admissions process.

Census Cases

The Lawyers' Committee has also worked on cases about the U.S. Census.

The Lawyers' Committee and its partners sued to stop Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. Experts believed that such a question would make many people afraid to answer. This could lead to an undercount, which would affect important funding for communities.

People Connected to the Lawyers' Committee

Many notable people have been involved with the Lawyers' Committee:

See also

  • Election Protection
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