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Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Partnering with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the south to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing and communications.

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Press Release

Public Interest

June 8, 2020

SCSJ’s Chief Counsel for Voting Rights and Interim Executive Director Wins 2020 David Carliner Public Interest Award

Durham, N.C. — Allison Riggs, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice’s Chief Counsel for Voting Rights and Interim Executive Director, has been selected as one of two winners of the David Carliner Public Interest Award for her innovative work and commitment to protecting civil and human rights. The award, presented annually by the American Constitution Society, honors a mid-career public interest attorney who exemplifies fearless, uncompromising and creative advocacy on behalf of marginalized people.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

Voting during COVID

June 5, 2020

Voting Rights Organizations Seek Preliminary Injunction to Guarantee Voter Safety in November

Durham, N.C. — On behalf of Democracy North Carolina, the League of Women Voters of North Carolina and eight individual voters, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Fair Elections Center and pro bono counsel from law firm WilmerHale have formally requested that a federal court temporarily amend some of the state’s voting laws to guarantee that North Carolinians can vote safely in November’s general election in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

May 26, 2020

Voting Rights Organizations File Federal Lawsuit to Ensure North Carolina Holds Fair, Safe Elections in November

Durham, N.C. — On behalf of Democracy North Carolina, the League of Women Voters of North Carolina and six individual voters, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Fair Elections Center and pro bono counsel from law firm WilmerHale have filed a lawsuit demanding North Carolina take the necessary steps to guarantee a fair, safe election in November, given the likelihood that the state and the country will still be experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

February 26, 2020

SCSJ Issues 4th Annual Racial Equity Report Cards Highlighting Disparities in North Carolina Public Schools

Durham, N.C. — While Black students make up 25% of children in North Carolina public schools, they receive 55.2% of all short-term suspensions. White students, who comprise 47.3% of all students, only receive 25.8% of all suspensions. These and other findings of disparity are detailed in the statewide Racial Equity Report Card issued today by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News

February 21, 2020

Southern Coalition for Social Justice Files Amicus Brief To Help Protect North Carolina Voters From Intimidation

Durham, N.C. — The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) has filed a brief of amici curiae (“friend of the Court” brief) in support of the defendants in Public Interest Legal Foundation v. North Carolina State Board of Elections, which is currently pending in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. SCSJ filed the brief on behalf of the Association of Mexicans in North America, Inc., El Pueblo, Inc. and North Carolina Asian Americans Together, nonprofit organizations that advocate on behalf of minority populations across North Carolina, seeking to highlight for the appeals court the risk to voters of color if the decision below is not affirmed.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

February 19, 2020

North Carolina Court of Appeals Blocks Voter ID Law in Key Win for Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Durham, N.C. — The North Carolina Court of Appeals yesterday issued a key decision in Holmes v. Moore, blocking the state’s voter ID law from taking effect until the trial of the case has concluded. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of S.B. 824, which was passed in December 2018 following the approval of a state constitutional amendment requiring people in North Carolina to present an ID before voting.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

February 12, 2020

SCSJ Launches CROWD Academies To Protect Voting Rights of Communities of Color During Post-2020 Census Redistricting Process

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) is partnering with community organizations in six states to offer in-depth training sessions to educate community organizers on the redistricting process and potential voting rights violations following the 2020 census. Community Redistricting Organizations Working for Democracy (CROWD) Academies will equip individuals and organizations with tools to monitor and engage with redistricting processes at every level of government, spot warning signs and take action if decisions are likely to infringe on the right to an equal opportunity to participate in elections.

Category iconCommunity Organizing,  Press Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

January 3, 2020

Judge Rules Accusations of Voter Fraud Can Be Defamatory; Plaintiffs’ Claims to Proceed to Trial

Durham, N.C. — A North Carolina judge has ruled that accusing someone of an unsubstantiated claim of felony voter fraud can be defamatory and such accusations are not protected speech under federal or state law. This ruling, issued by Judge Allen Baddour in favor of the plaintiffs in Bouvier, et al. v. Porter, et al., means the case will likely proceed to trial in 2020.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

December 11, 2019

Southern Coalition for Social Justice Leads National Initiative To Combat Criminalization of the Ballot Box

Durham, N.C. — As part of its ongoing work to protect voting rights and eliminate barriers for people with past involvement with the criminal justice system, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice recently hosted a national convening to launch its new initiative to address growing efforts to criminalize voting among certain populations, including minorities and individuals with a felony record.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News

December 5, 2019

Plaintiffs in North Carolina Voter ID Lawsuit Seek Documents On Legislative Motivations Behind Challenged Law

Durham, N.C. — Plaintiffs in Holmes v. Moore, a lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s voter ID requirements (S.B. 824), filed a motion in Wake County Superior Court earlier today asking a judge to compel the General Assembly to release communications between legislators and General Assembly staff relating to the design of and motivations behind S.B. 824. The motion also requests access to any other materials outside of the public legislative record that the North Carolina House of Representatives and Senate used when drafting the statute. State legislators have previously refused to turn over these documents as part of the lawsuit’s discovery process, citing legislative privilege.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

October 31, 2019

Southern Coalition for Social Justice Confirms Three New Board Members

Durham, N.C. — The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) is delighted to announce that Dr. Andra Gillespie, Lisa Jones and Susan Price will join its board of directors, effective immediately. All three of these dynamic women are exceedingly accomplished in their areas of expertise and have a great passion for social justice work and will help reinforce the SCSJ’s regional focus and further develop its expansive programming.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News

October 1, 2019

The Southern Coalition Announces Meredith Horton As Deputy Executive Director

Durham, N.C.— The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) is proud to announce that Meredith Horton, a seasoned attorney and accomplished leader in the social justice community, will join the organization as its Deputy Executive Director. Meredith brings to this position more than 15 years of organizing, legal advocacy, program management and grant-making experience on a range of social justice issues. In this new role, Meredith will assume a portfolio of leadership responsibilities that include helping with organizational strategy, staff development, along with budget and operational systems. Her appointment begins October 21.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News

September 30, 2019

SCSJ Represents Democracy North Carolina in Amicus Brief Urging State Court to Reject State’s Proposed Remedy Maps

Late Friday, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice submitted an amicus brief on behalf of Democracy North Carolina urging a three-judge state court panel in Common Cause v. Lewis to reject the “remedial” State Senate and House redistricting plans enacted by the General Assembly a little over a week ago. SCSJ and Democracy NC argued that those plans fail to eliminate the partisan bias that led the court to invalidate the prior plans as unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders.

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Uncategorized,  Voting Rights Tag iconDemocracy NC,  gerrymandering,  remedial maps,  voting rights

July 24, 2019

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 enforcement of North Carolina’s Voter ID statute until a trial can be held on its constitutionality. A three-judge panel found last Friday that plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged that the voter […]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

July 21, 2019

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 of the Pence-Kobach “Voter Fraud” Commission, and his organization, the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF). According to the lawsuit, Mr. Adams and PILF unlawfully defamed and conspired to intimidate Virginia […]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

June 27, 2019

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 ruling in Rucho v. Common Cause determines that challenges to partisan discrimination in the redistricting process are nonjusticiable and North Carolina’s 2016 congressional plan will remain intact.  Allison Riggs, senior voting rights […]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

June 24, 2019

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, 40, and 41) to their configuration as they were drawn in 2011. The redraw was required by an order from a three-judge panel in Wake County Superior Court to remedy changes made […]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights Tag iconCovington,  NAACP v. Lewis,  North Carolina Redistricting

May 14, 2019

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 focus on supporting citizens with felony records across the South who have completed their sentence to restore their right to vote and re-engage with the political process so that they […]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

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The Latest

On Monday, we're taking North Carolina's discriminatory voter ID law to court. This reminds us how, in hard times, these laws can steal our ability to vote. washingtonpost.com/l…

About 35 minutes ago

Voting rights attorney Allison Riggs on fighting for an inclusive democracy @AllisonJRiggs @facingsouth facingsouth.org/2021…

Yesterday

“There are practices, policies and maybe individuals who are collectively creating an atmosphere where Black students are being policed and pushed out of the classroom and into the justice system at disparate rates than their white peers." @t_whittenberg bit.ly/3uAZJGv

Yesterday

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." —Nelson Mandela Art by @scurry8799, SCSJ's Creative Intern pic.twitter.com/v9Dl…

About 2 days ago

In her written testimony, @AllisonJRiggs said that Black & brown voters waited longer to #vote and were the targets of misinformation. Black voters faced more barriers to participate due to unreliable mail service & discrimination, she added. bit.ly/3t5hkpF @newsbreakApp

About 2 days ago

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