Episode 281: Defend! Disrupt! Dream!
L. Joy opens class with reflections on Brooklyn’s Dance Africa festival and the importance of taking a break, before turning to the central theme: the role—and limits—of the courts in advancing justice. She notes how people increasingly view the judiciary as the ultimate arbiter of the nation’s values, citing recent Supreme Court decisions and public reactions. However, L. Joy cautions that courts have historically upheld the status quo, especially for Black and marginalized communities, referencing landmark cases from Dred Scott v. Sandford, Brown v. Board of Education and Mendez v. Westminster. She brings Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) to the front of the class to break down the four major pillars that span their work: political participation, criminal justice, economic justice, and educational equity.
Janai names critical court reforms she believes is needed and names term limits for Supreme Court Justices, an independent ethics body to hold justices accountable, expanded access to legal representation in civil matters, and a shift from punishment to rehabilitation in the justice system. She underscores that courts, while important, are not saviors– pointing out that they reflect societal norms as much as they shape them—and that’s why organizing, protesting, and public pressure matter.
As they round out the conversation citing recent LDF cases, they also discuss how the plaintiffs in cases play a vital role in LDF’s success. Janai lifts up those who step forward—families, parents, workers—who share their experiences in lawsuits that protect entire communities. She encourages listeners to consider how their own stories might contribute to current legal battles.
And, happy 85th anniversary NAACP Legal Defense Fund!
Guest’s First Civic Action
Janai tells the story of her first civic actions which involve a major march in Brooklyn and defending a classmate in elementary school.
Do Now
Check out the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Research civil rights lawsuits in your region to see if they are seeking plaintiffs. If your experience matches a case, consider stepping up as a plaintiff.
Not a plaintiff? Volunteer, donate, or spread the word. Everyone has something to contribute.
Janai Nelson
Janai 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. LDF was founded in 1940 by legendary civil rights lawyer and the nation’s first Black Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, and became a separate organization from the NAACP in 1957. The lawyers at the Legal Defense Fund developed and executed the legal strategy that led to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, widely regarded as the most transformative and monumental legal decision of the 20th century.
Nelson formerly served as Associate Director-Counsel and as a member of LDF’s litigation and policy teams. She has also served as interim director of LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute and in various other leadership capacities at LDF. Nelson was one of the lead counsel in Veasey v. Abbott (2018), a successful federal challenge to Texas’s voter ID law, and the lead architect of NUL v. Trump (2020), which sought to declare the Trump administration’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion training in the workplace unconstitutional before it was later rescinded. Prior to joining LDF in June 2014, Nelson was Associate Dean for Faculty Scholarship and Associate Director of the Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development at St. John’s University School of Law where she was also a full professor of law and served on the law school’s Senior Leadership Team.