Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)

Founded in 1966, CCR originally fought racism. As of 2019, however, many of its active cases focused on immigration and war-related issues. ² Its highlighted historical cases include suits related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and allegations of torture by U.S. officials. ³

On October 7, 2023, following the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, the CCR released a statement refusing to condemn the attacks, calling them “Palestinian armed resistance” against “Israeli colonial domination” and that “under international law, armed groups, such as Palestinian resistance fighters, can lawfully carry out attacks on military targets.” ⁴

Programs

The Center for Constitutional Rights is involved in 13 issue areas. Those areas are immigration, abuses by corporations, free speech, policing concerns, drone killings, government surveillance, imprisonments at Guantanamo Bay, alleged LGBT persecution, mass incarceration, alleged profiling of Muslims, racial issues, gender-based violence, support for Palestinians, and alleged war crimes. ¹

The Center touts its use of “creative” legal standards to achieve its desired outcomes. It uses international law to influence domestic U.S. policy, and used an 18^th-century domestic U.S. law to bring lawsuits against international corporate and state actors. ⁵

In addition to fighting for its issues under U.S. Constitutional arguments, CCR supports the United Nations’ Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The Declaration cites a number of rights – such as the right to life and liberty, and the right to equality regardless of birth. ⁶ CCR, however, has taken on cases supporting abortion, and opposed Republican efforts in Congress to defund Title X recipients which provide abortions. ^{7 8}

The Center for Constitutional Rights engages in communications strategy that ranges from events and legislation to letter-writing campaigns and testifying in front of government and non-government organizations. ^{9 10}

It further expands its influence and legal theories through several educational partnerships. ¹¹

As of March 6, 2024, a plurality of the Center’s active cases focused on immigration, ranging from opposing U.S. border control policies to accelerating acceptance of asylum and visa applications. Its second-largest category relates to military and torture issues, especially related to post-9/11 U.S. anti-terrorism policies. ¹²

Major Cases

United States v. Dellinger

In this case, CCR defended members of the “Chicago Eight” who were accused of violating a number of laws during riots and protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. While 175 guilty verdicts were handed down, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit overturned the convictions. ¹³

According to the website for “The History Channel,” the 21-week Chicago Eight trial became a circus during which President Richard Nixon, the war in Vietnam, racism, and other issues were attacked by CCR and its clients. ¹⁴

Rasul v. Bush and Boumediene v. Bush

These cases were won by CCR related to the rights of alleged terrorists detained by the George. W. Bush administration at Guantanamo Bay. Both were decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of detainees. ^{15 16}

The Court’s 2004 Rasul decision opened the door to U.S. courts considering cases brought by detainees and their advocates. ¹⁷ Boumediene was decided in 2008 in light of the 2005 Detainee Treatment Act and the 2006 Military Commissions Act. CCR and other groups argued that the two laws unconstitutionally restricted the rights of detainees. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed. ¹⁷

Daniels, et al. v. the City of New York

CCR won this 1999 case in 2003 via a settlement after arguing that New York City’s stop-and-frisk campaign consisted of illegal race-based discrimination. ¹⁸ In that settlement, the city paid $167,500 to 10 people in restitution and agreed to end stop-and-frisk policies. ¹⁹ CCR reports that the settlement also included audits by the New York City Police Department and reports issued to CCR on those audits. Finally, the police department was to provide workshops on the legal rights of people stopped by police. ¹⁹

Other Activities

Color of Change v. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation

CCR joined left-wing advocacy group Color of Change in seeking access to federal agencies’ monitoring and surveillance of Movement for Black Lives members and organizers. ²⁰ The 2016 lawsuit was settled in April 2019. The lawsuit was similar to one later filed by the ACLU, which accused federal agencies of engaging in baseless and racist attacks on black activists. ²¹ Federal agencies allegedly viewed black activists as targets for conversion by Islamic terrorism groups.

Doe v. Hood

CCR took on this LGBT case in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of sodomy bans in the 2003 Lawrence case. CCR previously won the freedom of 800 sex offenders in Louisiana who were jailed because they engaged in sodomy, and filed the Doe case because Mississippi had not changed its laws after Lawrence decision. ²²

Opposition to Trump Administration

CCR opposed the first Trump administration’s policy which restricted immigration from several Muslim-majority nations which critics have called a “Muslim ban.” In addition to filing several lawsuits and accusing the Trump administration of supporting white nationalism, the organization released a report which claimed that waivers under the ban do not go far enough to help refugees and others. ²³ CCR’s report focused on refugees from Yemen. ²⁴

CCR aligned with the left-wing so-called “Resistance” against the Trump administration. Its website outlines a number of tactics and resources for organizing against the administration. ²⁵

Prison Partnership Transparency

CCR’s lawsuit against two federal agencies ended in a decision which allowed CCR access to government records related to private prisons. Opposition by private prison contractors was overruled by a court which said the companies’ desire to keep records private did not have standing. ²⁶

Opposition to Israel

Controversial Women’s March co-founder Linda Sarsour spoke in 2018 at a CCR-sponsored event supporting Palestinians against Israel. CCR and Sarsour support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which is designed to pressure Israel regarding its treatment of Palestinians. ²⁷ Sarsour has been accused of engaging in anti-Semitism. ²⁸

Guantanamo Bay

The Center for Constitutional Rights coordinated with the Center for Victims of Torture to write a letter asking the Biden Administration to close Guantanamo Bay. The letter claims the base is used for “unlawful mass detention”. ²⁹ The letter has received support from over 150 international human rights organizations. ²⁹

October 7, 2023 Hamas Terrorist Attack against Israel

Following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks against Israel by the terrorist group Hamas, CCR released a statement refusing to condemn the attacks, calling the “Israeli Colonial Domination” ⁴ of the Gaza Strip as, “necessary context for what it called the, “Palestinian armed resistance.” ⁴ In addition, the statement further claimed the attacks were part of a, “legal right of colonized people to resist colonial domination and to pursue national liberation,” ⁴ and further claimed that, “under international law, armed groups, such as Palestinian resistance fighters, can lawfully carry out attacks on military targets.” ⁴

The Center has also accused U.S. citizens of potentially being “complicit” by funding Israel through their taxes. ³⁰ It also signed a letter with other pro-Palestinian groups that claimed that members of Congress who vote to fund Israel violate U.S. and international laws against supporting genocide. ³¹ It also sued the Biden administration to stop funding Israel, but its case was dismissed because the court had no authority to tell Congress and the executive branch how to make funding policies. ³²

Leadership

The Center for Constitutional Rights has two co-chairs, Jumana Musa and Lisa Crooms-Robinson. Musa leads the Fourth Amendment Center of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She has worked across several legal areas, including immigration, surveillance, and racial issues. ³³

Lisa Crooms-Robinson is a law professor at Howard University, with a focus on constitutional, gender, and international issues. She has written numerous reports for international agencies, including the United Nations. ³⁴

The Center’s executive director is Vincent Warren, an attorney who has focused on LGBT issues, looser immigration policies, and ending policing policies like stop-and-frisk in New York City. He was previously an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). ³⁵ Warren has written that the high rate of white police killing Black Americans is due to “institutional racism,” and accused then-U.S. Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions of holding racist views toward immigrants and Black Americans.^{36 37}

Financials

According to its 2023 990 form, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) reported a revenue of $15,792,163, expenses of $14,276,783, and total assets of $45,971,290. ³⁸

According to its 2022 990 form, CCR reported a revenue of $14,848,424, expenses of $12,468,239, and total assets of $43,928,783. ³⁹