Today, NLG submitted the following statement to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary in condemnation of its attacks against Southern Poverty Law Center:
Pursuant to the 119th Congress Rules of Procedure of the Committee on the Judiciary, the National Lawyers Guild (“NLG”), the nation’s largest and oldest progressive bar association, timely submits the following commentary for the congressional record of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary’s June 9, 2026, hearing, titled “The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate, Part II.” As a non-profit legal organization, the NLG submits this commentary with deep concern about the Legislature’s weaponization of its processes against the constitutionally protected and socially essential work done by another non-profit legal organization, the Southern Poverty Law Center (“SPLC”).
Public exposure and condemnation of far-right violence is a part of this country’s genealogy. Despite concerted attempts to rewrite our country’s history, we affirm that the social, cultural, and political growth of the U.S. has been in large part because of organizations committing to eradicating right-wing extremist ideologies and rebuking their supporters. Like NLG, SPLC has been one of the leading organizations in contemporary times dedicated to this work – and donors proudly fund these efforts. Indeed, for over five decades, SPLC has had a track record of publicly and fearlessly taking on white Christian Nationalist organizations, thereby advancing our collective liberties.
However, just like the conservative pundits attempting to rewrite histories of chattel slavery and indigenous genocide, this Committee is attempting to rewrite the truth about SPLC’s work. The reality is, without organizations like SPLC, all of us are less safe from the ever-growing threat of white supremacist violence.
Beyond the false accusations themselves, this Committee has engaged in a baseless inquisition through its powerful legislative processes. Reflecting the political motivation of the Committee’s actions, its attacks against SPLC come at the heels of a concurrent federal prosecution. The Government’s dubious indictment is being used as a backdrop for the administration’s right-wing talking points to the media and right-wing blogosphere, including bizarre accusations that SPLC was funding neo-nazis to “grow their violent extremist organizations” and that it was funding false-flag operations. Considering the Department of Justice’s actions, it appears that this Committee’s goal is to muddy the narrative about SPLC and give cover to the Government’s outrageous right-wing efforts.
As an almost 90-year-old legal organization, with its own history of surveillance, interference, and persecution at the hands of the federal government, NLG rebukes the targeted actions of the 119th Congress’ Committee on the Judiciary. We know that the public will not forget the Department of Justice’s attempts to chill organizations like SPLC or the House of Representatives’ wilful abuse of power to enable such chilling efforts. The country is watching as this Committee engages in an anti-democratic playbook by weaponizing the Legislature to lend credibility to the Government’s shaky accusations.
It is clear that forcing SPLC’s leadership in front of Congress is not about justice. It is about political intimidation.
In condemnation,
Sara Habbo
President-Elect, On behalf of the National Lawyers Guild
