Janai Nelson

Janai Nelson is president and director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the nation’s premier civil rights law organization advancing racial justice and equality, where she leads its strategic vision, program, and operations.

Chief Justice John Roberts listens as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026.

The Fight for Educational Equality Is Also a Fight for a Just Supreme Court The Fight for Educational Equality Is Also a Fight for a Just Supreme Court

The court has severely weakened our ability to make an education system that fulfills the promise of Brown.

Oct 22, 2026 / Janai Nelson

Thousands are backed up and waiting to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Bridge Crossing Jubilee and “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, in 1965.

61 Years After Bloody Sunday, We Are Entering a New Era of Voter Suppression 61 Years After Bloody Sunday, We Are Entering a New Era of Voter Suppression

Two efforts underway threaten to erode the promise secured by the foot soldiers of Selma in 1965.

Mar 9, 2026 / Janai Nelson

People take part in a massive anti-Trump “Hands Off” protest and march in New York City, New York, April 5, 2025.

We Can Defeat Trump’s Lawlessness. We’ve Done It Before. We Can Defeat Trump’s Lawlessness. We’ve Done It Before.

Donald Trump’s intimidation tactics are not new. At the height of the civil rights movement, segregationists harassed our civil rights lawyers.

Apr 17, 2025 / Janai Nelson