50 Years After Stonewall →

50 Years After Stonewall, We Are Still Fighting for Inclusion by Kiki Tapiero and Iván Espinoza-Madrigal This month, many public spaces and storefronts are adorned with Pride banners and rainbow flags. It is tempting to believe that there is widespread support for the LGBTQ+ community and that queer people are...

Suing Boston Police Department For Diversity Data →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and pro bono counsel, David S. Godkin, of Birnbaum & Godkin LLP, filed a lawsuit against the City of Boston and the Boston Police Department (BPD), seeking public records regarding diversity in BPD and demanding timely compliance with the Massachusetts Public Record Law. Access to...

Condemning Trump Administration’s Assault On Anti-Discrimination Protections →

Lawyers for Civil Rights Condemns Trump Administration’s Assault On Anti-Discrimination Protections  As part of its ongoing rollback of civil rights protections, the Trump Administration is directing Justice Department officials to look for ways to eliminate one of the most potent tools of civil rights advocacy: the disparate impact doctrine. Lawyers for Civil...

2018 Year-in-Review →

Check out our latest work. Our 2018 year-in-review is available here: http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-Year-in-Review.pdf [pdf-embedder url="http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-Year-in-Review.pdf" title="2018 Year in Review"] Our 2018 year-in-review is available here: http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-Year-in-Review.pdf

Congressional Resolution Honors Our Achievements →

Mass. Lawmakers Introduce Resolution Honoring Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice Bicameral Resolution Marks 50th Anniversary of the Lawyers’ Committee’s Boston Affiliate Text of Resolution (PDF) Washington, DC – United States Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Stephen F. Lynch, along with their colleagues from the Massachusetts congressional delegation,...

Symposium on the Future of Civil Rights (September 20, 2018) →

Please join us on September 20th for a groundbreaking civil rights conference at Suffolk Law School. Free registration starts at noon. Lunch will be served. Event will conclude with beer/wine reception. This event is open and free to the public. The program is available here. [pdf-embedder url="http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SaveTheDate-Symposium.pdf"]  

Free Legal Clinic on July 16 in Roxbury →

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Federal Court Complaint Challenges Unlawful Detention of Immigrants in MA →

Lawless Sheriff Will Answer To the Court Federal Court Complaint Alleges Bristol County Sheriff Unlawfully Detains Immigrants June 19, 2018 Boston, MA – The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice and Latham and Watkins LLP filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court in Boston to hold Bristol...

55th Anniversary of MLK’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” →

Today marks the 55th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail,’’ in which the civil rights leader responded to those who had criticized him for leading street protests. In the letter, Dr. King noted that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’’ Although much has changed...

Mother Files Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit for the Fatal Police Shooting of Her Unarmed Son in Boston →

Mother Files Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit for the Fatal Police Shooting of Her Unarmed Son in Boston Lawsuit Filed on the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Amidst National Protests Concerning Police Killings of Black Men Boston, MA (April 4, 2018) – Today, Hope Coleman filed...

Lawsuit Filed to Block Immigration Arrests at Courthouses →

CIVIL RIGHTS, INDIGENT DEFENSE GROUPS ASK SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT TO BLOCK IMMIGRATION ARRESTS AT MASSACHUSETTS COURTHOUSES Cite Evidence that ICE Enforcement at Courthouses Deters Witnesses from Appearing in Court, Battered Women from Seeking Restraining Orders Today, the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) Immigration Impact Unit, the Lawyers' Committee for...

Why Are Boston Public Schools Students Being Arrested by ICE? →

Why Are Boston Public Schools Students Being Arrested by ICE? The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice calls on the City of Boston to immediately investigate the growing school-to-deportation pipeline entangling Boston Public Schools’ (BPS) students with federal immigration authorities. On the heels of a widely-reported incident where...

21st Century Policing & Public Safety →

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Dangerous Racist Elements in the Massachusetts State Police →

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice calls for the immediate termination of Massachusetts State Trooper Matthew Sheehan, the racist white officer with a long history of violent bigoted online posts who discharged a rifle against a group of unarmed people of color riding all-terrain vehicles in Boston...

Expanding Client Intake and Community Outreach Staff →

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Expands Client Intake and Community Outreach Staff  The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice (“Lawyers’ Committee”) fosters equal opportunity and fights discrimination on behalf of people of color and immigrants. We engage in creative and courageous legal action, education and advocacy in collaboration...

Superior Court Faults Boston Police’s Decision Not To Hire Black Applicant →

Superior Court Faults Boston Police Department’s Decision Not To Hire Black Applicant Rules That A CWOF Is “Not A Reasonable Justification” For Bypass Boston, MA – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice and our Board Member David Godkin from Birnbaum & Godkin LLP, received a favorable decision...

New Police Training Techniques Announced By Walpole & Lawyers’ Committee →

LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND THE TOWN OF WALPOLE ANNOUNCE NEW TRAINING TECHNIQUES BOSTON — Today, in response to a complaint filed on behalf of John-Paul Wahnon, the Walpole Police Department announced that it has instituted new training techniques and best practices, including comprehensive implicit bias training, to ensure...

Boston Police And Fire Hiring Practices Illegally Harm Minority Veterans →

Civil Rights Groups Charge Police And Fire Department Hiring Practices Illegally Harm Boston’s Minority Veterans Call For Civil Service Investigation Into Unauthorized Use Of Residence Preference Boston, MA – Today, on behalf of the Boston Society of Vulcans (Vulcans), the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers (MAMLEO), and numerous...