Concerns swell over impact SB 0971 would have for registering eligible voters NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 22, 2019) – The Southern Coalition for Social Justice urged Tennessee lawmakers to abandon efforts that could lead to criminal and civil liabilities for civic organizations engaged in voter registration efforts. The message came in the form of a letter […]
Legislative Leaders Decline to Appeal Ruling of Unconstitutional Redistricting in Wake County State House Districts
RALEIGH, N.C. – On February 15, 2019, legislative defendants filed a notice withdrawing their appeal of a Superior Court ruling that found the 2017 redistricting of four Wake County House districts to be unconstitutional. In November 2018, a three-judge panel found that the redistricting changes violated the North Carolina Constitution’s prohibition on mid-decade redistricting. The […]
Racial Equity Report Cards Continue to Show Disparities in Achievement and Discipline
This year’s report cards include teacher diversity statistics for the first time Durham, N.C. — The 2019 Annual Racial Equity Report Cards released by the Youth Justice Project of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice reveal significant racial disproportionality across the state and in most individual school districts. The report cards use public data on academic achievement, school […]
U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear North Carolina and Maryland Partisan Gerrymandering Challenges
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear arguments in March 2019 in a challenge to North Carolina’s 2016 congressional map, which is one of the most egregious partisan gerrymanders in American history.
Statement Regarding the Investiture of Anita Earls to the North Carolina Supreme Court
RALEIGH, N.C. – Anita Earls was sworn in today as the 100th Justice to sit on the North Carolina Supreme Court in an investiture ceremony this afternoon in Raleigh, North Carolina. Earls, founding Executive Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, was elected to the seat in November. Kareem Crayton, Interim Executive Director of […]
New North Carolina Voter ID Law Immediately Challenged by Voters
Six voters challenging the state’s new photo ID requirements filed a lawsuit minutes after the regulations became law. The complaint was filed in Wake County Superior Court along with a motion requesting a preliminary injunction, asking the court to halt the implementation of the law until the case can be heard in court. State lawmakers […]
Youth Justice Project: Federal Commission on School Safety Recommends Scrapping Anti-Discrimination Guidance Implemented During Obama Administration
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) Federal Commission on School Safety has released its final report, which includes a recommendation that the DOE and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) rescind guidance issued in 2014 aimed at ensuring educational agencies comply with federal obligations to administer student discipline without discriminating based on race, […]
House Districts in Wake County Found Unconstitutional
Districts ordered to be redrawn in the next regular legislative session for use in 2020 RALEIGH – A three-judge state court panel today issued a unanimous ruling declaring four state House Districts in Wake County to be unconstitutional. The panel agreed that the unnecessary redrawing of state House Districts 36, 37, 40, and 41 […]
Video Series Highlights Voters Who Could be Impacted by Voter ID Requirements
DURHAM, N.C. – Five videos released today by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice are the first installment of a campaign that’s aimed at educating voters about who may be disenfranchised if a state constitutional amendment requiring photo identification to vote is approved in this November’s election. The “What’s at Stake” video series highlights […]
Civil Rights Organizations Urge U.S. Attorney General Jeff Session to Withdraw Subpoenas for Massive Amount of Voter Records and Information
DURHAM, N.C. – A coalition of national, regional, and state-based civil rights organizations has sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions urging the withdrawal of recently issued subpoenas in North Carolina that sought millions of voter records in the state. The letter makes it clear that the subpoenas: Target people of color, immigrants, and […]
Know Your Voting Rights – Post Hurricane Florence
In the wake of natural disasters, voters frequently get displaced from their homes. That does not mean that these voters lose their right to vote and have their political voices heard. Survivors of Hurricane Florence who have been forced from their homes because of the storm and subsequent flooding have several options available to them […]
As Urged by SCSJ, North Carolina State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement Directs AG’s Office to Move to Quash Overbroad ICE Subpoenas
RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, the North Carolina State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement unanimously agreed to direct the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office to take all necessary steps to quash the vague, burdensome and potentially illegal subpoenas that the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern North Carolina served in the last week on the State […]
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Subpoenas Local Election Boards for Troves of Information in Apparent Fishing Expedition, Undermining 2018 Election Administration
RALEIGH, N.C.– Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian Kielmanovich recently issued subpoenas to Boards of Elections in all 44 counties in North Carolina’s Federal Eastern District on behalf of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While the exact timing of the issuance of the subpoenas is not clear, they became public knowledge on September […]
Plaintiffs Victory in Partisan Gerrymandering Case Shifts Focus Back to Supreme Court
The Supreme Court could hear case in the 2018-19 term in time for new maps in 2020 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a three-judge panel in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina reaffirmed its decision from January striking down the state’s congressional map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The decision in […]
Statement Regarding Alamance County Voters Accused of Voting While Ineligible
GRAHAM, N.C. – Five voters represented by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) charged with voting while ineligible accepted plea deals to lesser charges in Alamance County Superior Court today. As part of the deal, prosecutors dropped all felony voting-related charges. SCSJ clients Anthony Haith, Neko Rogers, Whitney Brown, Keith Sellars and Willie Vinson, […]
Statement from the Southern Coalition for Social Justice Regarding Changes to the Appearances of Proposed Constitutional Amendments on the 2018 General Election Ballot
RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina General Assembly today passed House Bill 3, Ballot Designations/Referenda, during a hastily called special legislative session. If the measure becomes law, the Constitutional Amendments Publication Commission will lose its well-established authority to draft short captions that would appear on November’s ballot for every North Carolina voter describing six proposed […]
U.S. Supreme Court Again Sides with Plaintiffs Who Brought Racial Gerrymandering Challenge
Most of the court-ordered plan that includes Special Master’s districts to remain in place WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Supreme Court issued a per curiam decision today, largely affirming a lower court’s ruling in North Carolina v. Covington and upholding most of the court-ordered map with some districts redrawn by a Special Master. The court requested recommendations from a Special […]
U.S. Supreme Court Partisan Gerrymandering Ruling’s Impact on North Carolina
WASHINGTON D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court issued opinions on June 18, 2018, in two partisan gerrymandering cases, Gill v. Whitford (Wisconsin) and Besinek v. Lamone (Maryland). The Wisconsin case has been sent back down to the district court to reconsider issues related to standing. The ruling in the Maryland case affirmed the denial of […]