Civil rights case docket
Summaries of our current and historical civil rights cases.
A rich history of litigating important civil rights cases.
Our cases have smashed remnants of Jim Crow segregation; fought against voter suppression; destroyed some of the nation’s most notorious white supremacist groups; and upheld the rights of minorities, children, women, people with disabilities, and others who faced discrimination and exploitation. Many of our cases have changed institutional practices, stopped government or corporate abuses, and set precedents that helped thousands.
Currently, our litigation is focused on several major areas: voting rights, children’s rights, economic justice, immigrant justice, LGBTQ rights, and mass incarceration.
We have also filed amicus “friend-of-the-court” briefs to support litigation from other organizations that are doing similar work.
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Inman-Johnson, et al. v. City of Tallahassee
The Southern Poverty Law Center and American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed a lawsuit against the City of Tallahassee for its “fire services fee,” alleging that it operates as an unconstitutional form of taxation not authorized by law. The lawsuit asserts that this fee is collected as a hidden charge on monthly utility bills…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
Louisiana v. Callais
On Sept. 3, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed an amicus brief in a case involving white plaintiffs who claim that Louisiana’s current redistricting plan — which was created to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and has two majority-Black congressional districts — is a racial gerrymander that discriminates against them. The…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Black Emergency Response Team v. Drummond
The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) filed an amicus brief in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in support of plaintiff-appellants’ challenge to Oklahoma’s HB 1775, a law that critically restricts classroom instruction on topics related to race, gender and inequality in public schools and universities. The law places sweeping restrictions on educational institutions that deny…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Glasper v. Wells
The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a federal complaint against Mississippi to stop the state from misusing and withholding federal funds provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to the city of Jackson to address its ongoing water crisis. The suit argues Mississippi refused to allocate these funds when the city needed them most…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Anaria Cabrera, et al. v. U.S. Department of Labor
After the Trump administration announced the suspension of the Job Corps program and that all 99 of its centers would close, the Southern Poverty Law Center and Public Citizen Litigation Group filed a federal lawsuit opposing the action as an illegal shutdown of the program. The lawsuit describes how on May 29, 2025, the U.S.…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Deago Buck v. Goyim Defense League, et al.
After an antisemitic group brought a hate campaign to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2024, and targeted people believed to be Jewish or people of color, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a young, biracial man assaulted during the event. The lawsuit names the Goyim Defense League (GDL), its leadership and…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
League of Women Voters of Louisiana, et al. v. Landry, et al.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a coalition of voting rights groups against the state of Louisiana following its passage of a proof of citizenship law that violates the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA does not allow states to require the collection of additional documentation to register…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
- Ending Unjust Imprisonment
Baez v. Dixon
The Southern Poverty Law Center and Florida Justice Institute filed federal and state lawsuits on behalf of an incarcerated man who suffered abuse at the hands of the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC). Following a settlement awarded to the man for his injuries, FDC enforced a six-figure lien against him. The suits argue that FDC’s…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
George v. Sanders
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a class action complaint with the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) and civil rights attorney William Patrick Quigley on behalf of a tenant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, against a justice of the peace in East Baton Rouge Parish. The complaint states that Louisiana law creates an unconstitutional financial incentive for…
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- Ending Unjust Imprisonment
P.A., et al. v. Voitier
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Loyola Law Clinic reached a settlement agreement with Louisiana’s St. Bernard Parish Public Schools following a 2023 lawsuit the groups filed accusing the school district with routinely violating the rights of students with disabilities, placing them in a punitive alternative school setting without the appropriate due process, accommodations and…