Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, or simply the Lawyers' Committee, is a civil rights organization founded in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy. When the Lawyers' Committee was created, its existence was a major change in how the bar and how local and state judiciaries were able to help oppressed racial minorities during the civil rights movement. The organization called on the private bar to bring its resources to bear on the major civil rights problems beleaguering the nation; some of its earliest leaders included Bernard G. Segal, Harrison Tweed, Lloyd Cutler, Cecil Burney, Berl Bernhard, and John Doyle. During a historic June 21, 1963 meeting at the White House, 244 lawyers filled the East Room of the White House. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke to the lawyers about the discrimination he witnessed first-hand in the South and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy argued that lawyers had a unique role to play advancing civil rights for African Americans because of the oath that lawyers swore to uphold the constitution. At the end of the meeting, Bernard Segal and Harrison Tweed volunteered to lead the committee of lawyers, starting with those assembled at the White House. The organization has assisted with some major civil rights advancements over the years, including significant amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were made in 1982; it has also had a substantial impact to civil rights legislation, including Executive Order 11246—preventing employers from discriminating based on race—and a number of voting rights cases. Since its creation, the Lawyers' Committee has served as an expert on civil rights matters, often testifying before Congress and issuing public statements on pressing civil rights challenges. There are eight local affiliates of the Lawyers' Committee: Boston, Massachusetts (created in 1968); Chicago, Illinois (created in 1969); Denver, Colorado (created in 1978); Jackson, Mississippi (created in 1965); Los Angeles, California (created in 1970); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (created in 1969); San Francisco, California (created in 1968); and the District of Columbia (created in 1968). Each affiliate is independently funded and governed, and together with the national Lawyers' Committee, they work on both national and state policy issues. History During a June 21, 1963, meeting at the White House, in the midst of the American civil rights movement, President John F. Kennedy suggested the formation of a group of lawyers to counter and reduce racial tensions by way of volunteer citizen actions. On July 10, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law was publicly announced. The first co-chairs of the committee were two well-known figures in the civil rights and legal fields, Bernard Segal and Harrison Tweed. Over a hundred lawyers volunteered to serve in the organization, with both white and black attorneys being represented. Membership also included five past presidents of the American Bar Association and four members of its board, as well as twelve current presidents of state bar associations, and officials from the NAACP and its legal defense fund. On August 9,