NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

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NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
AbbreviationLDF
FormationFebruary 12, 1940;84 years ago (1940-02-12)
TypeNon-profit organization
Headquarters40 Rector Street, 5th floor New York City, New York, 10006 U.S.
Region served
United States
President and Director-Counsel
Janai Nelson
Website www.naacpldf.org

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (NAACP LDF, the Legal Defense Fund, or LDF) is an American civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City.

Contents

LDF is wholly independent and separate from the NAACP. [1] Although LDF can trace its origins to the legal department of the NAACP created by Charles Hamilton Houston in the 1930s, [2] [3] Thurgood Marshall founded LDF as a separate legal entity in 1940, which became totally independent from the NAACP in 1957. [1]

Janai Nelson serves as the eighth President and Director-Counsel, since March 2022. [4] Previous Director-Counsels include Sherrilyn Ifill (2012–2022), John Payton (2008–2012), Ted Shaw (2004–2008), Elaine Jones (1993–2004), Julius Levonne Chambers (1984–1993), Jack Greenberg (1961–1984), and founder Thurgood Marshall (1940–1961). [5]

About

While primarily focused on the civil rights of African Americans in the U.S., LDF states it has "been instrumental in the formation of similar organizations that have replicated its organizational model in order to promote equality for Asian-Americans, Latinos, and women in the United States." LDF has also been involved in "the campaign for human rights throughout the world, including in South Africa, Canada, Brazil, and elsewhere." [1]

LDF's national office is in Manhattan, with regional offices in Washington, D.C. LDF has nearly two dozen staff lawyers and hundreds of cooperating attorneys across the nation. [1]

Areas of activity

Areas of concern

Creation and separation from the NAACP

The board of directors of the NAACP created the Legal Defense Fund in 1940 specifically for tax purposes. [6] In 1957, LDF was completely separated from the NAACP and given its own independent board and staff. [6] Although LDF was originally meant to operate in accordance with NAACP policy, after 1961, serious disputes emerged between the two organizations. These disputes ultimately led the NAACP to create its own internal legal department while LDF continued to operate and score significant legal victories as an independent organization. [3] [7]

At times, this separation has created considerable confusion in the eyes and minds of the public. [7] In the 1980s, the NAACP unsuccessfully sued LDF for trademark infringement. [3] In its ruling rejecting the NAACP's lawsuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit recognized that the "universal esteem in which the [NAACP] initials are held is due in significant measure to [LDF's] distinguished record as a civil rights litigator" and that the NAACP has "benefitted from the added luster given to the NAACP initials by the LDF's litigation successes." [3]

Well-known cases

Probably the most famous case in the history of LDF was Brown v. Board of Education , the landmark case in 1954 in which the United States Supreme Court explicitly outlawed de jure racial segregation of public education facilities. During the civil rights protests of the 1960s, LDF represented "the legal arm of the civil rights movement" and provided counsel for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., among others. [1]

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Prominent LDF alumni

A number of prominent attorneys have been affiliated with LDF over the years, including Barack Obama who was an LDF cooperating attorney. [1] The following, non-exhaustive list of LDF alumni demonstrates the breadth of positions these attorneys have held or currently hold in public service, the government, academia, the private sector, and other areas.

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References

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  2. "LDF@70: 70 Years of Fulfilling the Promise of Equality" (PDF). Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "NAACP v. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., 753 F.2d 131 (D.C. Circuit 1985)" . Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  4. "Introducing LDF's New President and Director-Counsel: Janai Nelson". NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  5. "History". NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
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  7. 1 2 Hooks (1979)
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  11. ...
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  13. "Supreme Court Ruling Leaves in Place Core Provision of the Voting Rights Act". NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
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  21. "Thomas v. Andino". NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  22. "LDF Files Agreement Requiring USPS to Implement Key Measures to Prioritize and Expedite Ballot Delivery in Georgia Runoff Election". NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
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Further reading