Campaign Legal Center Responds to Attacks on Civil Rights Organization

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee is set to hold a hearing that appears designed to further the federal government’s ongoing attacks against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a civil rights organization with a long history of protecting the freedom to vote and civil rights, as well as countering hate and extremist groups and preventing discrimination. Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan organization focused on advancing democracy through law, joined a large coalition of civil society groups in a letter to Congress, condemning the criminal charges the Trump administration brought against SPLC and urging lawmakers to similarly oppose this unfounded case.

Trevor Potter, the president and founder of Campaign Legal Center and a former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission, issued the following statement:  

“Civil rights organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center play a critical role in our democracy, working to protect Americans from hate and discrimination and safeguarding our fundamental rights, including the freedom to vote. The Trump administration and its allies are dismantling civil rights protections before our very eyes, while also attacking organizations that exist to defend those rights. This escalation is part and parcel of this administration’s many attempts to quash dissent and silence Americans’ voices in order to consolidate the president’s power.

“Congress should be using its constitutional authority as a check on the executive branch to investigate and stop these abuses. Instead, the leaders of the House Judiciary Committee are doing the president’s bidding by holding a hearing meant to harm SPLC’s reputation and credibility, promote mistruths and intimidate civil rights organizations and their supporters. This is simply wrong and unacceptable. Campaign Legal Center stands with SPLC and all our partners in the broad and diverse coalition working to defend the freedom to vote, the right to dissent and the rule of law.”

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The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. We safeguard the freedom to vote, defend voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence elections, and work to ensure public trust in our elected officials.

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