Advocacy & Litigation

The path to justice requires that we challenge federal, state, and local laws, statutes, and policies to ensure equal protection.

CURRENT LITIGATION

Voter Registration in Georgia

On January 9, 2026, National NAACP filed a motion to intervene as a defendant in the matter of the United States of America v. Brad Raffensperger. In this case, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, seeking to compel the production of statewide voter registration records under Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960.

Outdoor View of Building Columns with Sun and Shadows

Voting Rights in Mississippi

On January 9, 2026, the National NAACP and NAACP Mississippi State Conference filed an amicus brief in Watson v. RNC, pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Like all other states, Mississippi requires that ballots for federal offices be cast — marked and submitted to election officials — by that day. And like most other states, Mississippi allows some of those timely cast ballots (mail-in absentee ballots, in Mississippi's case) to be counted if they are received by election officials a short time after election day.

Black Graduate Kissing Rolled-Up Diploma - Outdoors

Scholarships in Iowa

On January 9, 2026, the NAACP Iowa-Nebraska State Conference and the ACLU of Iowa filed an amicus brief urging the Iowa Supreme Court to affirm a district court decision denying the University of Iowa's request to modify the terms of the Ezra L. Totton Scholarship. The amici contend that the University failed to show the scholarship is unlawful and that the district court correctly declined to modify the gift under Iowa's Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA).

MAKING LAWS WORK FOR US

A thoughtful look at American history reveals that the nation's laws were never meant to serve Black Americans. But we strive to make the laws work for us through litigation at the national and local levels.

Through affirmative litigation, we aim to further our mission to ensure equitable treatment and opportunities when it comes to voting rights, education, economic empowerment, criminal justice, and health, including environmental justice. We initiate lawsuits and join as plaintiffs in state and federal cases.

We have, and will continue to, file cases that fight:

Unjust federal, state local statutes regulations
Discriminatory policies, practices procedures
Unlawful misconduct by public officers, private individuals, and companies that threaten civil rights

We don't do this work alone. We may partner with other civil rights organizations, law firms, and law schools to secure the resources necessary to assess and prosecute cases.

Recent Filings

We're using the court system to fight efforts to disenfranchise Black voters, hold public officials accountable, and ensure civil rights. Read more about current cases.

The NAACP is joining with LDF in filing an amicus brief in Fairfax County Sch. Bd. and Arlington Cty. Sch. Bd v. McMahon, now pending in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. This case has implications for Black public school students in Fairfax and Arlington counties in Virginia and for beneficiaries of public funding across the Fourth Circuit.
On August 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education("DE") announced it was placing Alexandria City Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools, and Prince William County Public Schools (the Divisions) in Northern Virginia on high-risk status because the schools recognized "gender identity" with regard to bathrooms. DE halted all federal funding flowing to these districts, forcing the districts to pay out of pocket first, then submit requests to the federal government for reimbursement. Fairfax and Arlington challenged the determination of their status as high risk.
The District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction, concluding that the Supreme Court's recent decision in National Institutes of Health v. American Public Health Ass'n requires that all claims related to grant terminations go to the Court of Federal Claims pursuant to the Tucker Act. In the amicus brief, we would argue that this is a broad overread of the NIH decision, which concluded that internal guidance does not fall within the purview of the Tucker Act even when it relates to or results in grant terminations.
It is our position that the "high-risk" designation is akin to this sort of internal guidance. Sister courts' interpretation of the NIH decision supports this understanding. Under the decision being appealed, DE could also stop all funding to school districts based upon the administration's announced views of what constitutes racial discrimination, and such decisions could not be challenged in district court.
Read the full filing.

Black Female Election Workers - tallying election votes

Voting Rights Victory

The Indiana NAACP, along with the League of Women Voters of Indiana, challenged Acts 442 and 334 in court and won protection for the state's voters. The two voter purge laws aimed to allow Indiana election officials to cancel voter registrations without communication or compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) process.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that Acts 442 and 334 violate the NVRA, which prohibits states from removing voters unless voters opted for removal or by going through the established process of the NVRA.

The coalition filed a suit in YEAR to stop Act 442, which allowed election officials to obtain data from a third-party database to determine voter eligibility in Indiana without notice to the voter. Similarly, Act 334 aimed to use the Indiana Data Enhancement Association (IDEA) to identify duplicate voter registrations and allow election officials to remove a voter from Indiana's voter rolls without proper notification or consent.

Learn More

Voter Registration in Georgia

Voting Rights in Mississippi

Scholarships in Iowa

Fairfax County School Board and Arlington County School Board v. McMahon

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