89R25402 TBO-D
By: Reynolds H.R. No. 912
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Legal Defense Fund Advocacy Day is taking place on
April 23, 2025; and
WHEREAS, The first civil rights law organization in the
nation, LDF was founded in 1940 by legendary attorney Thurgood
Marshall, who later became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court
justice; the organization was initially a part of the NAACP, but it
began operating independently in 1957; and
WHEREAS, Through litigation, advocacy, and public education,
LDF has worked to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and
protect the constitutional and civil rights of all Americans,
especially Black people and other communities of color; today, the
organization continues to address key issues such as voting rights,
education equity, economic justice, and criminal justice reform;
and
WHEREAS, LDF has played an instrumental role in some of the
most significant legal victories in American history, including
Smith v. Allwright in 1944, which eliminated whites-only primary
elections in Texas, and Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the
landmark Supreme Court decision that outlawed racial segregation in
public schools nationwide; in addition, the organization
represented leaders of the civil rights movement such as Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. as well as countless grassroots activists,
resulting in litigation that overturned state-sanctioned
segregation of public buildings, parks and recreation facilities,
hospitals, and restaurants; more recently, the organization has led
efforts to restore and strengthen voting protections in the
aftermath of Shelby County v. Holder, the 2013 case that struck down
parts of the Voting Rights Act; and
WHEREAS, Over the past eight and a half decades, the Legal
Defense Fund has championed racial justice and equality, and it is a
pleasure to join in recognizing the organization for its many
contributions to the civil rights movement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize April 23, 2025, as Legal Defense Fund
Advocacy Day and extend to all those affiliated with the
organization sincere best wishes for continued success in their
important work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the Legal Defense Fund as an expression of high regard
by the Texas House of Representatives.