OUR RIGHT TO VOTE
IS AT RISK
SEE HOW YOUR DONATION SUPPORTS:
Support the NAACP Legal Defense Fund—the leading nonprofit legal organization fighting to protect voting rights and equality for all.
We’ve been defending our democracy since 1940
1944
Smith v. Allwright
LDF founder Thurgood Marshall argued before the United States Supreme Court that Texas’s Democratic primary system allowed whites to dominate the politics of the South, and won. The victory laid the foundations of Black voting rights and the modern civil rights movement.
1954
Brown v. Board of Education
May 17, 1954 marks the defining moment when the United States Supreme Court declared the doctrine of “separate but equal” unconstitutional. This began the desegregation of American public schools – handing LDF the most celebrated victory in our storied history.
1971
Griggs v. Duke Power
This case transformed our nation’s workplaces by embracing a powerful tool – now known as the “disparate impact” framework – that has helped to eradicate arbitrary and artificial barriers to equal employment opportunity for all individuals, regardless of their race.
1972
Furman v. Georgia
The death penalty stands out as the starkest example of the racial inequalities that course through the criminal justice system. LDF has been a leader in challenging its constitutionality for decades, and won a nationwide halt to executions in this landmark case.
1991-1993
Matthews v. Coye; Thompson v. Raiford
LDF attorneys compelled California, Texas, and the federal government to enforce and implement federal regulations calling for testing of poor children for lead poisoning.
2016
Fisher v. UT Austin
The Supreme Court ruled that the race-conscious admissions program in place at the University of Texas at Austin is lawful under the Equal Protection Clause – opening the doors of opportunity for students of color seeking higher education.
2017-2018
LDF v. Trump
After continued pressure from civil rights groups including LDF, President Trump’s Commission on Election Integrity was disbanded in January 2018. LDF filed a federal lawsuit against the commission, alleging that it was formed with the intent to discriminate against voters of color in violation of the Constitution.
PROTECTING
VOTING RIGHTS
Right now, our most fundamental democratic right – the right to vote – is under attack.
Through voter suppression and disenfranchisement, opponents of equality seek to limit the ability of many eligible
voters to cast their ballot. Additionally, the Administration’s baseless call for an investigation of voter fraud
and countless new challenges have further imperiled voting rights.
LDF has been involved in nearly all of the precedent-setting litigation relating to minority voting rights. We
use litigation, public education and advocacy strategies to promote the full, equal and active participation of
African Americans in our nation’s democracy.
Your
gift today helps us fight for the right to vote – especially during this crucial election year.
PROMOTING
EDUCATIONAL EQUALITY
The landmark 1954 victory in
Brown v. Board of Education, led by LDF, was the beginning of the end of Jim Crow segregated America.
Yet more than 60 years later, the toxin of racial bias still permeates our education system. Across the country,
there are schools that fail students by refusing to comply with decades-old desegregation orders – LDF has approximately
100 desegregation cases.
Since our founding, LDF has led the fight for educational equity from elementary school to college. In cases such
as
Fisher v. UT Austin and
Stout v. Jefferson, LDF has argued for the importance not only of equal opportunity but diversity in our nation’s
public schools and on college campuses.
Your
gift is critical to help protect our hard-fought gains on behalf of young people, as well as improve
the quality of education and eliminate discriminatory school discipline policies through advocacy and litigation.
REFORMING OUR
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Pervasive racial bias throughout the criminal justice system is fueling increased tension and mistrust between African-American
communities and law enforcement. Moral outrage and concerns about the integrity of the system have multiplied with
each killing of an unarmed African American caught on camera.
LDF uses research, public education, advocacy, litigation, community organizing and communications strategies
to advance policing reforms at the local, state and national levels.
Your
gift today strengthens our ability to intervene on behalf of victims and their families, employ
litigation challenging unconstitutional policing practices, and facilitate a shift to unbiased policing policies
across the country.
BUILDING
ECONOMIC JUSTICE
In one of our first cases in 1940, LDF secured a vital decision that required equal pay for black and white teachers. Through
litigation, advocacy and public education, we continue to fight for African Americans to work, live, and thrive
without racially imposed barriers.
Just last year, we secured a victory for African-American applicants and employees of the Washington Metro Area
Transit Authority (WMATA), after an unnecessarily punitive criminal background screening policy stigmatized or
barred from employment many well-qualified workers. In addition to a settlement for the nine plaintiffs, WMATA
adopted a new policy that provides for individualized assessments of job applicants who have criminal records.
Disparities in employment, housing, and more persist for communities of color.
Your
gift today helps us protect the progress we have made to secure economic justice and keep advancing
equality.
DEFEND OUR
DEMOCRACY
Join LDF with your most generous gift today.