[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 25, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6306-S6307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 646--RECOGNIZING THE LAWYERS' COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL 
          RIGHTS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

  Ms. WARREN (for herself and Mr. Markey) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 646

       Whereas the Senate recognizes the invaluable contributions 
     to the advancement of civil rights made by the Lawyers' 
     Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice on the 
     occasion of its 50th anniversary;
       Whereas the Boston, Massachusetts-based Lawyers' Committee 
     for Civil Rights and Economic Justice was the first of 8 
     affiliated local committees of the national Lawyers' 
     Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (referred to in this 
     resolution as the ``Lawyers' Committee'') and was followed by 
     local affiliates in the cities of Chicago, Illinois, Denver 
     Colorado, Jackson, Mississippi, Los Angeles, California, 
     Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, California, and 
     Washington, District of Columbia;
       Whereas the Lawyers' Committee was founded in 1963 at the 
     request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the leadership 
     and resources of private bars in combating racial 
     discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity;
       Whereas Senator Robert F. Kennedy, assassinated 50 years 
     ago as of June 2018, was also critical and central to the 
     launch of the Lawyers' Committee;
       Whereas the Lawyers' Committee and its local affiliates 
     organize pro bono services from private law firms to fight 
     for numerous causes, including voting rights, criminal 
     justice, economic justice, environmental justice, educational 
     opportunities, fair housing and community development, and 
     other civil rights matters;
       Whereas the Lawyers' Committee and its local affiliates 
     form the largest pro bono civil rights network in the world, 
     working with over 150 national, regional, statewide, and 
     local grassroots organizations and over 150 law firms;
       Whereas over the past 5 decades, the Lawyers' Committee and 
     its local affiliates have been on the front lines of the 
     struggle for equal justice in the United States and around 
     the world, with notable contributions including--
       (1) advancing the cause of the civil rights movement by 
     pursuing cases involving voting rights, racial segregation, 
     education, economic justice, fair housing, criminal justice, 
     hate crimes, and more;
       (2) contributing to the enactment of the Voting Rights Act 
     of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) and the authorization of 
     its subsequent extensions;
       (3) leading Election Protection, the Nation's oldest and 
     largest nonpartisan voter protection program to ensure 
     greater access

[[Page S6307]]

     to the ballot box for all people of the United States;
       (4) contributing to the enactment and enforcement of the 
     Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.);
       (5) working to combat the scourge of hate crimes and 
     racially motivated violence impacting communities;
       (6) joining the movement to end apartheid in the Republic 
     of South Africa by fighting against human rights abuses and 
     representing political dissidents in the courts for more than 
     30 years and through the open elections in 1994;
       (7) working to develop and enact the Civil Rights Act of 
     1991 (Public Law 102-166; 105 Stat. 1071), which advanced the 
     rights of workers in employment discrimination claims; and
       (8) joining relief efforts during the humanitarian crisis 
     caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 by helping survivors 
     navigate legal matters, including government disaster 
     assistance and insurance claims; and

       Whereas the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 
     in collaboration with its 8 local affiliates across the 
     country, continues to spearhead the struggle against hatred 
     and oppression and pursue equal justice for all through the 
     rule of law, particularly disenfranchised communities that 
     are disproportionately comprised of the economically 
     disadvantaged and people of color: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the founding of 
     the Boston, Massachusetts-based Lawyers' Committee for Civil 
     Rights and Economic Justice; and
       (2) expresses gratitude to the Lawyers' Committee for Civil 
     Rights Under Law and all of its 8 local affiliates for their 
     work to advance civil rights and their dedication to the 
     pursuit of equal justice under the law.

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