Over FIVE DECADES of CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERSHIP
Founded in 1969, CHICAGO LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE for CIVIL RIGHTS has been recognized as the region’s preeminent nonpartisan civil rights advocate group.
We have produced important victories in fair housing, voting rights, public education, and other cornerstone civil rights cases.
Using the power of the law to defend civil rights.
In the summer of 1963, at President Kennedy’s request, nearly 250 lawyers met at the White House where the President urged them to use their legal training to protect civil rights.
As a result, the national LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE for CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW was born.
Later, regional affiliates of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights formed to serve major population centers throughout the nation, or to serve individual states.
CHICAGO in the mid-late 1960’s:
The Northern front of the civil rights movement.
With a dramatic increase in activism in the mid-1960’s, Chicago was emerging as an important organizing center in the fight against racial discrimination.
By 1968, the city had experienced riots, violence, and mass arrests in response to Dr. King’s assassination.
These disruptions, along with growing racial unrest on the national stage, were a major motivating factor for the group of local attorneys and law firms who established the CHICAGO LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE for CIVIL RIGHTS in 1969.
CHIGAGO TODAY:
Finding community-based solutions to advance civil rights.
Today, the battle for civil rights continues in housing, voter access, education, and many other aspects of public life.
With poverty and segregation still firmly entrenched in parts of our city and state, we are working with the most impacted communities to realize greater racial equity and make America fulfill its promise of democracy and equal justice for all.
We will continue to answer the call for justice from our neighbors in need - expanding our reach throughout Illinois and Indiana.
Together, we can create a new narrative where ALL residents have same chance to succeed and thrive.
OVER 50 YEARS of VICTORY for CIVIL RIGHTS
Convinced the U.S. Attorney General to investigate the deaths of Black Panther leaders Mark Clark and Fred Hampton, who were murdered during a police raid; the investigation led to the indictment of the State’s Attorney and others.
1969
Filed a federal class action challenging disparity in per-pupil expenditures between Chicago’s majority-Black and majority-white schools; the Board of Education eventually equalized expenditures.
1970
1974
Represented a class of over 1,200 Black South Side homeowners alleging discrimination by developers who inflated prices under land installment contracts.
Settled the N.O.W. v. City of Chicago equal pay case after nine years, benefiting hundreds of women janitors and clerks through salary upgrades, retroactive pension benefits, and back-pay.
1982
1984
Won an important victory for voters of color in Ketchum v. Chicago City Council with the decision that local redistricting plans were designed to dilute minority voting strength.
Won a lawsuit claiming that Chicago Police department employees were subjected to discrimination based on race, national origin, and sex; hundreds of officers received overdue back-pay and seniority rights.
1992
Secured a significant settlement in Ramos v. Kraft, a vicious 10-year campaign of harassment and hate crime.
1995
Filed suit against the United States, U.S. Customs, and Customs inspectors on behalf of 1,300 Black women subjected to an unconstitutional invasive search at O’Hare International Airport.
1999
Represented minority and women contractors lacking equal access to construction opportunities in the Minority and Women Business Enterprise programs.
2003
In Wallace et al. v. Chicago Housing Authority, the courts called for HUD and public housing authorities to end discrimination and promote equal housing opportunity.
2003
Won a $1.3 million award in hate crime cases on behalf of three Black men for suffering racially motivated attacks by four White men that included threats of hanging and beating.
2005
Unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lewis v. City of Chicago that revealed discriminatory hiring practices for city firefighters.
2010
Advocacy by the voting rights initiative led to passage of legislation allowing same-day voter registration and online voter registration in Illinois.
2013-4
Filed suit against the Cook County Assessor, exposing a decades-long practice of imposing higher property tax rates on low-income Black and Latinx neighborhoods.
2017
Joined with parents to prevent the closing of National Teachers Academy, serving low-income Black students
2018
2019
Challenged the City’s discriminatory plan to divert up to $1.3 billion in public money via Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to subsidize a luxury development in Lincoln Yards.
Filed a complaint alleging the failure to properly implement Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) by the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office and the State Board of Elections.
2020
Filed lawsuit on behalf of the Illinois State Conference of the NAACP and other community groups challenging the state’s 2021 redistricting plan in East St. Louis, which the plaintiffs allege is biased against Black voters.
2021
Along with Common Cause Indiana and League of Women Voters of Greater Lafayette, filed a successful complaint with the Indiana Election Commission, challenging a county’s demand for additional forms of voter identification beyond what’s required by state law.
2022
Filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Chicago Housing Authority’s plan to lease 23 acres of public housing land at the former ABLA Homes to the Chicago Fire football club.
2023
