News

Voting Rights

Filing: Proceedings in NC Redistricting Case Do Not Change US Supreme Court’s Ability to Decide Moore v. Harper  

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court should reject the dangerous and fringe independent state legislature theory (ISLT) presented in Moore v. Harper regardless of…

Voting Rights

SCSJ praises Goldsboro residents stopping election change 

GOLDSBORO, NC — Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) praises the work of residents of Goldsboro, who pushed back Tuesday against potential plans to change…

Voting Rights

North Carolina Supreme Court Justices Seek Racist Statements to Prove Discriminatory Intent in Voter ID Case 

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Supreme Court Justices do not need smoking-gun evidence of racial animus or to wait for actual North Carolina voters to…

Voting Rights

RECAP: NC Supreme Court Rehears Arguments on Harper v. Hall Voting Rights Case

RALEIGH, N.C. — Republican lawmakers want supreme power when it comes to deciding what’s fair in electoral mapmaking their attorney told the North Carolina Supreme…

Voting Rights

SCSJ Finds Over-Inclusive Voter Removals Disproportionately Impact Voters of Color

DURHAM, NC – Thousands of North Carolinians have been removed from the voter rolls this year with a disproportional impact on people of color, a…

Voting Rights

Plaintiffs in Redistricting, Voter ID Cases Respond to Impractical Arguments for NC Supreme Court to Abandon Prior Decisions 

RALEIGH, N.C. — Legal briefs filed Friday by plaintiffs’ attorneys in Harper v. Hall and Holmes v. Moore responded to North Carolina Republican lawmakers’ unprecedented…

Voting Rights

SCSJ Extends Condolences Following Passing of Common Cause President, Democracy Warrior 

DURHAM, N.C. — Southern Coalition for Social Justice extends its deepest condolences to Common Cause and all who knew and loved Karen Hobert Flynn following…

Justice System Reform

Recap: NC Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Felony Re-Enfranchisement Case 

The North Carolina Supreme Court heard oral arguments February 2, 2023, in CSI v. Moore, a voting rights case that will determine whether people with…

Environmental Justice

Anne Harvey Joins SCSJ as Chief Counsel for Environmental Justice 

DURHAM, N.C. — Anne Harvey has joined the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) as the Chief Counsel for Environmental Justice.   SCSJ is growing its…

Voting Rights

NC Supreme Court Majority Breaks Precedent to Rehear Settled Redistricting, Voter ID Cases Post Election 

RALEIGH, N.C. — In an extreme departure from precedent, the North Carolina Supreme Court announced Friday it would rehear two cases — one involving statewide…

Justice System Reform

SCSJ Stands with Community, Civil Rights Groups in Call for Police Accountability

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is joining other civil rights groups and the community in calling for an end to over-policing…

Voting Rights

Common Cause Asks NC Supreme Court to Dismiss ‘Frivolous’ Petition to Rehear Partisan Gerrymandering Case 

RALEIGH, N.C. — Common Cause North Carolina has asked the North Carolina Supreme Court to dismiss Republican lawmakers’ frivolous attempt to reverse prior redistricting decisions…

Voting Rights

Republican Legislators Petition NC Supreme Court to Toss Precedent, Rehear Voting Rights Cases Involving Discrimination Against Black Voters 

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Republican lawmakers are wasting no time trying to use the recently-flipped state Supreme Court to their advantage — they filed…

Voting Rights

Sounding the Alarm for Democracy: Voters and Advocates Rally in D.C. as SCOTUS Considers Moore v. Harper

On December 7, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Moore v. Harper, a case legal experts are calling “the most important debate over federalism…

Voting Rights

Columbus County NAACP Reacts to Racist Sheriff Resignation; New Sheriff Appointment

WHITEVILLE, NC — Jody Greene, the Columbus County Sheriff embroiled in legal trouble over racist remarks and behavior while in office, resigned for a second…

Voting Rights

North Carolina Supreme Court Rejects Gamesmanship in Latest Redistricting Opinion 

RALEIGH, N.C. — On Friday, the North Carolina Supreme Court struck down the General Assembly’s remedial Senate map, which was used in the 2022 general…

Voting Rights

North Carolina Supreme Court Strikes Down Voter Photo ID Law as Unconstitutional, Discriminatory 

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Supreme Court has struck down the legislature’s most recent iteration of a photo voter ID law as an unconstitutional…

Voting Rights

Gov. Roy Cooper Appoints Allison Riggs to Court of Appeals

RALEIGH, N.C. — Southern Coalition for Social Justice Co-Executive Director and Voting Rights Chief Counsel, Allison Riggs, has been appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to…

Justice System Reform

TOMORROW: Rally With Us to End Death Penalty

From our partners at North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NCCADP): Please join people from across our state for a march and…

Voting Rights

Columbus County Voter Appeals Local BOE’s Decision to Let Jody Greene Move Ahead as Sheriff

WHITEVILLE, NC — Herman Lewis, second Vice President of the Columbus County NAACP, filed an appeal Monday with the North Carolina State Board of Elections…

Voting Rights

MEDIA ADVISORY: Common Cause, SCSJ, to Co-Host Pre-Moore v. Harper Rally, Post-Argument Press Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Common Cause and Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) will host a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court beginning at 9:30 a.m.…

Voting Rights

Media Briefing: How Democracy Will Be Protected in Upcoming SCOTUS Case

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  Common Cause, Southern Coalition for Social Justice and global law firm Hogan Lovells held a media briefing Thursday, Dec. 1, outlining the…

Voting Rights

Columbus County Voter Files Petition to Prevent Jody Greene from Taking Office as Sheriff Due to Racist Behavior, Misconduct

WHITEVILLE, NC — Herman Lewis, second Vice President of the Columbus County NAACP, filed a protest Tuesday with the Columbus County Board of Elections asking…

Voting Rights

How to Advocate for Eligible Incarcerated Voters to Cast Ballots

There are more than 740,000 people in jails across the country, the majority of whom are either awaiting trial — they are legally innocent —…

Justice System Reform

Durham School Students, Advocates Discuss School-to-Prison Pipeline at Duke Class

Durham public school students joined social justice advocates at Duke Law last week to discuss school-to-prison pipeline in North Carolina and the barriers preventing its…

Voting Rights

Voting Rights Groups Ask U.S. DOJ to Guard Against Unauthorized Ballot Access in Texas

AUSTIN, TX — Today, the League of Women Voters of Texas and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice called on the U.S. Department of Justice…

Voting Rights

Common Cause, SCSJ File Moore v. Harper Respondents’ Brief Upholding Checks and Balances in Nation’s Elections

The Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments in the major voting rights case on December 7, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 2022 Washington,…

Justice System Reform

SCSJ Supports Calls for Columbus Sheriff Investigation, Resignation

Durham, N.C. (Sept. 29, 2022) — WECT News 6 published an article Wednesday detailing racist comments made by Columbus County Sheriff Jody Greene. The Southern…

Justice System Reform

Fair Chance Business S.W.I.T. Encourages Second Chances

Success While In Transition (S.W.I.T.) has partnered with Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) to promote Fair Chance Business Certifications among North Carolina employers. S.W.I.T.…

Voting Rights

SCSJ, AALDEF, ACLU of TX, Brennan Center Issue Statement Responding to District Court’s Postponement of Texas Redistricting Trial

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 31, 2022 On Wednesday, August 31, legal counsel representing plaintiffs in the case Fair Maps Texas Action Committee, et al., v.…

Voting Rights

Supreme Court Takes N.C. Case Threatening Future of Voting Rights 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 30, 2022 The U.S. Supreme Court decided on June 30, 2022, it will hear oral arguments during the October 2022 term…

Voting Rights

New York Gun Opinion Should Not Leave Election Workers, Voters Vulnerable

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that New York’s gun licensing system, “which issues public-carry licenses only when an applicant demonstrates a special need…

Voting Rights

Southern Coalition Responds to Supreme Court’s Abortion Decision

We are angry and heartbroken by the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs. While abortion in North Carolina remains safe and legal, no person should be…

Justice System Reform

Beulaville Family Targeted in 2 Home Arsons Demand Justice

Since the end of January, two members of the Beulaville Judge family have had their homes intentionally set on fire, and now — in the…

Voting Rights

Voting Rights Groups Challenge Cobb County School Board Map Denying Equal Representation to Voters of Color

Cobb County School Board and Board of Elections Maps Unconstitutionally “Pack” Voters of Color into 3 Districts, Denying Black and Latinx Communities’ Opportunity for Full…

Honoring Maurice Holland, Sr.

Southern Coalition For Social Justice extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Maurice Holland Sr. His foundational support for this organization…

General

Statement on Mass Shootings in Uvalde & Buffalo

Trigger warning: This statement speaks about a mass tragedy and gun violence. If you or someone you know is a survivor of a mass tragedy…

Voting Rights

SCSJ, Common Cause Repudiate NC Lawmakers’ Attempts to Entrench Partisan Power

Washington, D.C. (May 20, 2022) — A state legislature cannot make elections and voting rules with impunity, according to a new filing which asks the…

Justice System Reform

Durham Students Rebuke Expected Overturn of Roe v. Wade

Durham, N.C. (May 12, 2022) — Hundreds of North Carolina students walked out of class Thursday at Charles E. Jordan High School and rallied outside…

Justice System Reform

Op-ed: “Rooting Out Racism in McDowell Schools Starts with More Leadership”

Mounting incidents of racism in McDowell County schools are traumatizing our children, and it is past time for the School Board to act. 

SCSJ Releases New Report: Invest In Our Children, Invest In our Youth: Ending Youth Criminalization in North Carolina

Invest In Our Children, Invest In our Youth: Ending Youth Criminalization in North Carolina highlights the harms of, and alternatives to, vilifying and incarcerating our…

Fair Chance Business Re-Launches In Partnership with Community Empowerment Fund

Fair Chance hiring considers an applicant’s qualifications first, without the stigma of a conviction or arrest record. The Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) and the Southern…

Southern Coalition for Social Justice Responds to Legislature’s Attack on State Judiciary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 25, 2022 In response to a Friday afternoon emergency application to the United States Supreme Court from the North Carolina General…