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Allison Riggs

Chief Counsel, Voting Rights
allisonriggs@scsj.org

Allison Riggs leads the voting rights program at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, an organization she joined in 2009.  Her voting rights work has been focused on fighting for fair redistricting plans, fighting against voter suppression, and advocating for electoral reforms that would expand access to voting.

She has litigated redistricting cases on behalf of State NAACP Conferences in Texas, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina. In 2018, she argued the Texas redistricting case in the United States Supreme Court.  Allison works closely with grassroots organizations and communities of color as they seek to advance their political and civil rights.  She received her undergraduate, Master’s Degree and J.D. from the University of Florida.

Jaclyn Maffetore

Staff Attorney, Voting Rights
jaclynmaffetore@scsj.org

Jaclyn Maffetore is a staff attorney in SCSJ’s voting rights section, where she engages in litigation and policy advocacy promoting fair districts and voter enfranchisement for marginalized communities. Growing up in Southeastern North Carolina and witnessing discrimination first hand, Jaclyn developed a strong sense of justice and fairness that guided her toward the legal profession at a young age.  Jaclyn received her B.A. in Political Science from Wake Forest University in 2013, and received her J.D. with honors from Elon University School of Law in 2016.

During her time at Wake Forest, she focused her studies on the politics of identity and intersectionality, which highlighted the disparate treatment minority groups have faced in our political systems. While at Elon, Jaclyn served as Vice President of Elon’s OutLaw chapter, was a member of the Moot Court Board, and participated as a student member of the Inns of Court. Jaclyn first came to the Southern Coalition as a full-time Voting Rights extern in her final year of law school, solidifying her commitment to use her law degree as a tool for change.

Jeff Loperfido

Staff Attorney, Voting Rights
jeffloperfido@scsj.org

Jeff Loperfido is a Staff Attorney with SCSJ’s Voting Rights group. His practice focuses on litigation and policy advocacy that ensures the fair and full participation of all voters.

Jeff graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Economics, and earned his J.D. cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Following law school, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Norma L. Shapiro, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and then worked in private practice for five years at the New York City law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP. In 2015, he shifted his practice to government work, serving as senior counsel in the Special Federal Litigation Division of the New York City Law Department. Jeff returned to North Carolina in 2017 committed to dedicating his future professional efforts to social justice causes and is excited to have found that opportunity at SCSJ.

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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LULAC of Richmond v. Public Interest Legal Foundation

Focus Area: Voting RightsFiled in: Virginia
Last Updated: Mar 4, 2019Case Status: Pending

This is a federal lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of the Richmond Council for the League of United Latin American Citizens and four individual voters who were subjected to intimidation and false accusations of illegal voting in reports published by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF). The lawsuit claims violations of the Ku Klux Klan Act and the Voting Rights Act, as well as state defamation laws. The PILF reports – titled Alien Invasion in Virginia and Alien Invasion II – were published in September 2016 and May 2017 and accused the voters of committing multiple felonies, from illegally registering to vote to casting an ineligible ballot.

Related Files & Resources

April 2018 LULAC Complaint – Filed 04/12/2018
August 2018 LULAC Motion to Dismiss Denied – Filed 08/13/2018

Related Media

Voters File Federal Court Challenge to Voter Intimidation Efforts in Virginia (04/12/2018)
Federal Voter Intimidation Case in Virginia Moves Forward (08/13/2018)

Key Contacts

Allison Riggs, Chief Counsel, Voting Rights
allisonriggs@scsj.org

Jaclyn Maffetore, Staff Attorney, Voting Rights
jaclynmaffetore@scsj.org

Jeff Loperfido, Staff Attorney, Voting Rights
jeffloperfido@scsj.org

Last Updated: March 4, 2019

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