SCSJ and community partners celebrate a win for students and parents of Ashley Elementary after a panel of the Winston-Salem City Council voted unanimously to recommend the sale of city-owned property that will serve as the site of a new school to replace Ashley Elementary. The recommendation is slated to go before the full City Council for consideration on October 21.
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.
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.
SCSJ Welcomes Myesha Braden as Chief Counsel for Justice System Reform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, September 18, 2019 For media inquiries: media@scsj.org The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is elated to announce that Myesha Braden has joined the staff as Chief Counsel for its new Justice System Reform program. Braden brings exemplary civil rights and criminal justice experience to the Southern Coalition following more than a decade […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 a request from the Texas NAACP and other plaintiffs to require the state’s future redistricting plans to first be cleared by the U.S. Department of Justice. The brief, which included […]
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 the state’s voting precincts by May 31, 2019. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice and Democracy North Carolina sent a letter to the State Board on Tuesday outlining how forcing […]
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 a lawsuit brought by the family of 17-year-old Uniece Fennell after she took her own life in the Durham County Detention Facility (DCDF) in 2017. The order by U.S. District […]
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 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 […]
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 Carolina’s congressional plan that was consolidated with Rucho v. Common Cause. In addition to the two North Carolina cases, the Supreme Court also heard arguments in a Maryland partisan gerrymandering challenge, Lamone […]
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 resulted in a settlement agreement containing significant policy changes and protections for youth detained and in the custody of the County. The lawsuit and settlement agreement were filed simultaneously with […]
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 permanent executive director. Dr. Crayton has served as the organization’s interim director since January 2018. “We are proud to name Dr. Kareem Crayton as the Executive Director of our organization,” […]
SCSJ’s Allison Riggs Chosen as Oralist in North Carolina’s Partisan Gerrymandering Case
Case marks the second argument for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice at the U.S. Supreme Court WASHINGTON, D.C. – Plaintiffs in Rucho v. League of Women Voters of North Carolina (LWVNC) will be represented by Allison Riggs, senior voting rights attorney at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, when the case is argued before the U.S. Supreme […]
Voters Challenge to State Voter ID Moves Forward
Wake County Superior Court Judge Sends Case to Three-Judge Panel RALEIGH, N.C. – On Wednesday, Wake County Superior Judge Vince Rozier, Jr. issued an order that allows a state constitutional challenge to North Carolina’s voter ID law to move forward in front of a three-judge panel. Chief Justice Beasley will appoint the three members of the panel. The […]