Recent News

Voting Rights

North Carolina Voters Appeal Denial of Request to Put NC Voter ID Requirement on Hold Despite Allegations of Discrimination, Risk of Disenfranchisement

RALEIGH, N.C.  – Six North Carolina voters today filed a notice of appeal from a Wake County Superior Court decision denying their request to freeze…

Voting Rights

Voters Strike Back and Win Settlement and Apology in Challenge to Voter Intimidation in Virginia

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Voters subjected to false accusations of felony voter fraud reached a settlement in their lawsuit against J. Christian Adams, a former member…

Voting Rights

U.S. Supreme Court Rules Partisan Gerrymandering is Non-Justiciable

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in North Carolina’s partisan gerrymandering case that federal courts will have no role in reviewing partisan gerrymandering.  The 5-4 decision…

Voting Rights

Wake County Litigants Applaud Adoption of Federal Court-Drawn Map for 2020 State House Elections

RALEIGH, N.C.  – The North Carolina General Assembly has approved a redistricting plan that reverts four state House Districts in Wake County (HD 36, 37,…

Voting Rights

Equal Justice Works Fellow Joins SCSJ to Support Justice-Involved Voters

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice welcomes Mitchell Brown, an Equal Justice Fellowship sponsored by the Ottinger Foundation. As part of the fellowship, Brown will…

Voting Rights Advocates Call for Federal Oversight of Future Redistricting in Texas

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (May 2, 2019) – In a remedial hearing today in a Texas redistricting case that began in 2011, a three-judge panel heard…

Voting Rights Groups Object to Rushed Redraw of Precincts by State Elections Board

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 1, 2019) — Voting rights groups are calling on the N.C. State Board of Elections (“State Board”) to stop efforts to redraw…

Justice System Reform

Federal Court Order Now Requires Durham County to Comply with New Policies Regarding Youth Held in Custody

DURHAM, N.C. —  A federal judge has endorsed a settlement that requires separate facilities for youth and adults in Durham’s detention facilities.  The court order resolves…

SCSJ Urges Tennessee Lawmakers to Abandon Pursuit of Unconstitutional Restrictions on Voter Registration Programs

Concerns swell over impact SB 0971 would have for registering eligible voters NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 22, 2019) – The Southern Coalition for Social Justice urged…

Voting Rights

SCSJ Takes Partisan Gerrymandering Case to the U.S. Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Arguments have concluded at the U.S. Supreme Court in Rucho v. League of Women Voters of North Carolina, a partisan gerrymandering challenge to North…

Justice System Reform

Settlement of Case Involving Preventable Teen Suicide in Durham County Jail to Lead to Significant Policy Changes

DURHAM, N.C. – Two years after 17-year-old Uniece Fennell took her own life in the Durham County Detention Center, a lawsuit brought by her family has…

Communications

Dr. Kareem Crayton Named Permanent Executive Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice

DURHAM, N.C. – The Board of Directors for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) has named Kareem Crayton, J.D., Ph.D. to serve as the organization’s…