who was the head lawyer for the naacp legal defense fund

by Macey Grant Sr. 10 min read

Janai Nelson

Who is the head of the NAACP Legal Defense and fund?

"Sherrilyn Ifill is to be head of NAACP legal defense and educational fund". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2016. ^ a b "Alumnus/Alumna of the Month | NYU School of Law". www.law.nyu.edu. Retrieved February 19, 2017.

Why did the NAACP Sue LDF?

At times, this separation has created considerable confusion in the eyes and minds of the public. In the 1980s, the NAACP unsuccessfully sued LDF for trademark infringement. In its ruling rejecting the NAACP’s lawsuit, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the D. C.

Who is the current director of the Legal Defense Fund?

In 2013, Ifill was invited back to the Legal Defense Fund – this time to lead the organization as its 7th Director-Counsel.

What is the NAACP v USPS?

2020: NAACP v. United States Postal Service, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the US Postal Service's widespread disruptions in mail delivery violated federal law and risked delaying the delivery of mail-in ballots — thereby causing voter disenfranchisement.

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Who was the head attorney for the naacp Legal Defense Fund?

Sherrilyn Ifill (born December 17, 1962) is an American lawyer. She is a law professor and president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund....Sherrilyn IfillEducationVassar College (BA) New York University (JD) Hillcrest High School5 more rows

Who is Janae Nelson?

Janai S. Nelson is President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). The nation's premier civil rights law organization fighting for racial justice and equality.

Who was the leader of the naacp legal defense team during the case?

Thurgood Marshalllegal defense team who worked on the Brown v. Board of Education case.

Is Sharon Ifill related to Gwen Ifill?

Ifill is a resident of Baltimore and an alumna of Vassar College and the New York University School of Law. She's the cousin of the late Gwen Ifill, the first Black woman to co-anchor a national newscast.

Was Thurgood Marshall half white?

Thurgood Marshall's Family Marshall was born to Norma A. Marshall and William Canfield on July 2, 1908. His parents were mulatottes, which are people classified as being at least half white. Norma and William were raised as “Negroes” and each taught their children to be proud of their ancestry.

What is LDF Thurgood Marshall?

The Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multidisciplinary center within the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Launched in 2015, the Institute complements LDF's traditional litigation strengths and brings critical capabilities to the fight for racial justice, including research and targeted advocacy campaigns.

Why did Thurgood Marshall leave the Supreme Court?

Marshall retired from the Supreme Court in 1991 due to declining health.

Where is Sherrilyn Ifill from?

Baltimore, MDSherrilyn Ifill / Place of birth

Is Sherrilyn Ifill married?

Ivo KnoblochSherrilyn Ifill / Spouse (m. 1988)

Where did Sherrilyn Ifill go to college?

NYU School of Law1987Vassar College1984Hillcrest High SchoolNew York UniversitySherrilyn Ifill/Education

What is the NAACP LDF?

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, In c. ( NAACP LDF or LDF) is a leading United States civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City .

When was the Legal Defense Fund created?

The board of directors of the NAACP created the Legal Defense Fund in 1940 specifically for tax purposes. In 1957, LDF was completely separated from the NAACP and given its own independent board and staff.

What was the case that invalidated the law that denied African Americans access to all-white state graduate schools?

1938: Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, invalidated state laws that denied African-American students access to all-white state graduate schools when no separate state graduate schools were available for African Americans. (Handled by Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP before the formal foundation of LDF.)

What was the most famous case in the history of LDF?

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.

Who created the LDF?

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

Which case upheld the right of prisoners to challenge prison conditions in federal court?

1971: Haines v. Kerner, upheld the right of prisoners to challenge prison conditions in federal court.

Who is Debo Adegbile?

Debo Adegbile, former acting President-Director Counsel for LDF (2012–2013), argued twice in the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act, and a current Commissioner for the United States Civil Rights Commission.

Early life and education

Sherrilyn Ifill was born on December 17, 1962, in Jamaica, Queens, New York to Lester (a Harlem social worker) and Myrtle. She is the youngest of 10 children. Her mother passed away when Ifill was 6 years old. She graduated from Hillcrest High School. Ifill has a B.A. from Vassar College and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Career

While in law school, Ifill interned for Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. the first summer and at the United Nations Centre for Human Rights the second summer. Her first job out of law school was a one-year fellowship with the ACLU in New York.

Honors and awards

In 2016, Ifill won the Society of American Law Teachers Great Teacher Award.

Sherrilyn Ifill Stepping Down As Head of NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Sherrilyn Ifill attends the The Gordon Parks Foundation Annual Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

In Summary

Sherrilyn Ifill, the President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, is stepping down from her role in the spring of 2022.

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Overview

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. 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.
• Debo Adegbile, former acting President-Director Counsel for LDF (2012–2013), argued twice in …

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."

Creation and separation from the NAACP

The board of directors of the NAACP created the Legal Defense Fund in 1940 specifically for tax purposes. In 1957, LDF was completely separated from the NAACP and given its own independent board and staff. 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 s…

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.

Further reading

• Greenberg, Jack. "Crusaders in the Courts: Legal Battles of the Civil Rights Movement" (2004)
• Hooks, Benjamin L. "Birth and Separation of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund," Crisis 1979 86(6): 218–220. 0011–1422
• King, Gilbert "Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America" (2012)

External links

• NAACP-LDF Official Website
• Thurgood Marshall Institute at LDF

Overview

Sherrilyn Ifill (born December 17, 1962) is an American lawyer. She is a law professor and president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She is the Legal Defense Fund's seventh president since Thurgood Marshall founded the organization in 1940. Ifill is also a nationally recognized expert on voting rights and judicial selection. In 2021, Time named her one of the 100 mo…

Early life and education

Sherrilyn Ifill was born on December 17, 1962, in Baltimore, Maryland to Lester and Myrtle. She is the youngest of 10 children. Her mother passed away when Ifill was 6 years old. She graduated from Hillcrest High School. Ifill has a B.A. from Vassar College and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.
She and the late PBS NewsHour anchor Gwen Ifill were first cousins. Their family immigrated to th…

Career

While in law school, Ifill interned for Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. the first summer and at the United Nations Centre for Human Rights the second summer. Her first job out of law school was a one-year fellowship with the ACLU in New York. She then served as assistant counsel at the Legal Defense Fund, litigating Voting Rights Act cases including the landmark Houston Lawyers' Association v. Attorney General of Texas. In 1993, she joined the faculty of the University of Mary…

Personal life

Ifill is married to Ivo Knobloch. They have three children.

Honors and awards

In 2016, Ifill won the Society of American Law Teachers Great Teacher Award.
Ifill was an American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow in 2019. In 2020, Glamour magazine gave her a Woman of the Year award, calling her a "civil rights superhero." In 2021, Ifill was included on the Time 100, Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

See also

• Joe Biden Supreme Court candidates

External links

• Sherrilyn Ifill at NAACP LDF
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Sherrilyn Ifill on Twitter