Contempt of Court: Not Just A Feeling
CONTEMPT OF COURT: NOT JUST A FEELING Part I of a Contempt Primer for Activists and Their Communities by Sandra Freeman, CLDC Senior Staff Attorney *This is not intended as legal advice, but is general [...]
Judge Partially Grants CLDC Motion to Suppress Coerced Statement in Trial of Anti-Racist Political Prisoner, Eric King
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 30, 2021 Contacts: Lauren Regan, Executive Director & Senior Staff Attorney [...]
Civil Rights Groups Submit Support Brief for Impact Investment Firm in Legal Battle with Private Prison Corporation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 22, 2021 Contact: Valentina Stackl, Protect the Protest task force (734) [...]
Drop the Charges: Resistance to State Repression of Racial Justice Uprising Continues
By the Drop the Charges Coalition An unprecedented number of arrests followed the protests that [...]
Police Tactics for Violently Repressing Mass Movements (trigger warning)
Heavy-handed police responses to protests in the United States (and around the world) are nothing [...]
Activist Defense
The CLDC represents activists that, in the course of fighting for a better world, are arrested and criminally charged. We believe their courage deserves the best possible defense that can incorporate the political, social, and philosophical motivations of these activists.
Civil Cases
The CLDC engages in civil litigation to hold the powerful accountable and to protect the rights of activists and marginalized communities. Our civil litigation is aimed at holding governments, corporations, and the powerful accountable when they violate the constitutional rights of others. The civil practice of the CLDC is shaped and driven by a desire to create a lasting impact.
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SUPPORTING THE STRUGGLE
The Civil Liberties Defense Center supports movements that seek to dismantle the political and economic structures at the root of social inequality and environmental destruction. We provide litigation, education, legal and strategic resources to strengthen and embolden their success.
CLDC educates, supports and defends grassroots activists nationwide. We are dedicated to being a backbone for the grassroots and the frontlines. We help activists navigate the legal system, we represent them at no cost when they are arrested and we help them make smart choices in the face of state repression. We provide the necessary legal support so that activists can have long, sustainable lifetimes fighting in the movement for justice.
We also provide Know Your Rights and other legal trainings for activists and other vulnerable groups such as youth, tribes, the houseless community and the undocumented community. We believe that knowledge is power, and when people have the tools and understanding to take action and demand that the government honor all their rights, then grassroots activism will be the best chance of exacting necessary change.