Growing Stronger So We Can Keep Fighting Back

Doom scrolling got you down? We feel it too. It’s hard not to notice headlines covering the horrendous Prairielands ruling, where activists are facing 30 to 100 years in federal prison for protesting a concentration camp, or the 15 activists indicted in Minnesota for expressing anything other than their undying love for ICE.

What the algorithm isn’t showing you is that CLDC has been in the news a lot as well! Our small but mighty team has been litigating some high-stakes cases that challenge the government’s most oppressive attacks on civil liberties. Here are some of our most recent highlights:

Protecting Free Speech – Online and On the Streets

When the feds come down hard against our First Amendment right to protest government actions, CLDC’s legal team responds quickly with motions to quash and lawsuits to stop the administration’s overreach. In late 2025, we blocked an ICE subpoena to Meta that demanded identifying information for a fearless activist who was outing the government’s illegal actions – but the administration’s attempts at obtaining that type of anonymous data haven’t stopped there. In a separate case, we’re defending an anonymous Reddit user against an attempt by the DHS to reveal their identity. We filed a motion to quash DHS’s administrative summons in March, and DHS immediately withdrew the summons. Our client responded to the withdrawal:

Когда Reddit впервые уведомил меня о повестке, я был встревожен и напуган. Reddit — да и любая другая социальная сеть — должна защищать личную информацию своих пользователей. Эта новость сегодня — огромное облегчение для меня и моей семьи. Это победа не только одного человека, но и каждого, кто выступает против злоупотреблений власти.

–  J. Doe, Reddit user and CLDC client

Unfortunately, the victory was not the end of the story. But here’s where it gets insidious – Reddit itself was then subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. and the judge recently rejected our motion to unseal the documents in the proceeding. Originally, grand juries were intended to protect the public from overzealous and unaccountable prosecutors, by having a group of randomly selected citizens investigate crimes to determine whether enough probable cause existed to even begin prosecuting (indicting) someone for a felony. However, they’re increasingly being used as a tool to target and suppress political resistance movements. Time will tell whether this proceeding will result in outing our client’s identity, or whether his commentary on social media will remain protected – as it should be – under the First Amendment.

You may have heard that CLDC also recently filed two federal civil rights lawsuit against the Trump administration. The first is on behalf of two activists in Eugene seeking an injunction against new federal regulations that criminalize First Amendment conduct на or near federal property across the U.S. In February, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction, blocking enforcement of the regulation’s vague noise provision until the court can decide the merits.

Federal forces across the country have been increasingly violent and repressive towards activists. Armed federal agents try to punish and brutalize those who speak out, and in doing so, also intimidate others from exercising their First Amendment rights. Today’s preliminary injunction ensures that people who want to speak out against the civil rights abuses of this regime can do so with less fear of violence and arrest for protected free speech activities.
       – Plaintiff Anna Lardner, following the court ruling

That victory was only one battle in a larger struggle against the federal government and its determination to silence dissent. Our second recent lawsuit stems from a fence the federal government recently erected around the federal building in Eugene, blocking use of most of the traditional “free speech plaza,” and limiting the public’s ability to assemble and protest. Our team filed an injunction in federal court on behalf of six local activists to get the fence taken down, as the fence is an unconstitutional violation of the community’s rights to free speech and assembly. On Monday, June 22, Judge Mustafa Kasubhai granted us a preliminary injunction, requiring that the feds remove the fence immediately.

Источник: Nathan Wilk, KLCC

In a California case, we represent a student organizer at Cal Poly Humboldt (Arcata, California) who was arrested following a disruptive but peaceful occupation of a building on campus. Our client was suspended from the university and is also facing criminal charges. While we were successful in getting a restraining order against the student dismissed, we are preparing for an upcoming arraignment on the unjust criminal charges. We hope to win his acquittal, and that the university will apply codes of conduct fairly and equally to all peaceful protests, regardless of content or viewpoint.

Fighting Back Against Police Brutality & Animal Cruelty

One of CLDC’s newest cases is defending activists from overzealous prosecution for felony grand theft, conspiracy, and other overreaching charges related to an open rescue of two sick baby goats from a large dairy farm in central California. The rescue followed a months-long investigation and repeated reports to local authorities of animal cruelty and environmental violations. Juries in California have acquitted animal rescuers in similar cases, and we’re working hard toward an equally positive outcome this time.

Back in 2020, just a few months after the police killing of George Floyd, a march ensued in Springfield, Oregon, in specific response to a skeleton hanging by a noose across from a home occupied by one of Springfield’s few Black residents. Because of Springfield Police Department’s atrocious, illegal behavior targeting our clients and collusion with racist counter-protesters, our clients, which included the organization Black Unity, came out on top when a federal judge overwhelmingly ruled in their favor.

It is clearly established that First Amendment protections “are nowhere stronger” than in streets and parks because they are traditional public fora. Political speech is core First Amendment speech, critical to the functioning of our democratic system…The practice of persons sharing common views banding together to achieve a common end is deeply embedded in the American political process.
– Judge Ann Aiken, from her ruling allowing CLDC’s lawsuit to move forward to trial

Source: CLDC

Legal Education for Communities Under Threat

Since late 2025, CLDC has provided free legal education and training to thousands of people at in-person events nationwide through our virtual workshops. This year, our in-person Know Your Rights & Risks and Legal Observer trainings have been packed with local community members, and our virtual events have had hundreds of registrants from around the country and the world. This is telling us an important story – that people are thirsty for legal trainings and for how to be a better ally to the most at-risk community members. Our first Тренинг для тренеров course of 2026 trained 19 participants on our “Know Your Rights & Risks for Immigrants and Allies” training. Each trainee will become part of our network of certified trainers, equipped to help immigrants and advocates understand their legal rights and risks, and to stay safe(r) in the midst of this administration’s continued crackdown on constitutional rights.

Growing Our Flock

With the surge in need for movement law expertise nationwide, we’ve been revving up our internal growth to meet the moment as best we can. We’re over the moon to tell you about our most recent hires!

• Наш Communications Manager has been upping our game in the media connections lane. The reason we’re in the media so much lately has a LOT to do with her! We know that this will only grow with time because of the dedicated staff we have working on this.
• Supporting our three (yep, only three) lawyers is a new Legal Worker. Filling this role was critical to the success of our litigation work – and ensures we can keep taking on more cases.
• Three new Summer Law Clerks are helping with legal research, writing, and learning in the courtroom! The goal is that these folx are future movement lawyers, continuing to support activists over the long haul.

Our work will never stop, until all are free. The threats are so real…but so is the resistance! We will always be committed to taking cases that will have the greatest impact on the movement, and have the greatest potential for systemic change. Every injunction, order denying dismissal, and acquittal is proof that we must continue to fight back against this administration.

We can’t do this work without your support. Thank you for having our backs…and know we’ve got yours!