Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights Under Law Welcomes New Lawsuit By Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap Which Exposes Unlawfulness of the Commission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

Response to New Lawsuit Filed by Commissioner Matthew Dunlap

Against Trump’s Election Integrity Commission

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, Matthew Dunlap, Secretary of State of Maine and member of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity filed suit against Trump’s administration alleging violations of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Dunlap alleges that despite diligent efforts to gain access, he has been, and continues to be, blocked from receiving Commission documents necessary to carry out his responsibilities. Dunlap also notes that the Commission risks becoming exactly the kind of one-sided partisan undertaking the Federal Advisory Committee Act was designed to prevent.

“Today’s lawsuit is highly unusual and virtually unprecedented, only further underscoring the chaotic and dysfunctional nature of the Election Integrity Commission,” said Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “That its own members are in the dark about the way that the Commission operates and deliberates makes clear that this Commission is no more than a tool to advance this administration’s voter suppression agenda. As we continue our ongoing litigation against the administration, we look forward to watching Secretary Dunlap’s suit which reveals additional evidence of the Commission’s unlawfulness and illegitimacy.”

A copy of Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap’s lawsuit can be found here.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law has undertaken a series of comprehensive actions to challenge the Pence-Kobach Commission.  This includes: ongoing and active litigation in the D.C. District Court, letters sent to Secretaries of State demanding they not comply with Mr. Kobach’s request for voter roll data; filing a Hatch Act complaint against Mr. Kobach regarding his repeated exploitation of his Commission role to solicit campaign contributions and promote his candidacy for Governor of Kansas; and requesting documents regarding the Commission made pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination.  Now in its 54th year, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is continuing its quest “Move America Toward Justice.”  The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights.

Press Contact: press@lawyerscommittee.org

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