Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) is a left-of-center legal defense group based in Eugene, Oregon. It employs attorneys to represent activists engaged in disputes with the police and local and state governments as well as federal agencies. 1
In March and April 2025, CLDC began holding virtual training seminars to groups in charge of the #TeslaTakedown demonstrations opposing Elon Musk’s role in the second Trump administration. CLDC executive director Lauren Regan reportedly advised activists to take note of their “geography” to avoid being arrested. 2
Activities
Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) is a left-of-center legal defense group based in Eugene, Oregon. It employs attorneys to represent activists engaged in disputes with the police and local and state governments as well as federal agencies. Its attorneys are licensed in the following jurisdictions: Oregon state courts; the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 9th, Federal, and D.C. federal circuit courts of appeals; the federal court of claims; the federal district courts for Oregon, North Dakota, and Eastern District of Michigan; and the Supreme Court of the United States. 1
CLDC claims it supports groups and movements that “seek to dismantle the political and economic structures…at the root of social inequality and environmental destruction.” 1 In addition to legal defense, CLDC also pursues litigation on behalf of civil rights cases and engages in educational programs on protestors’ rights. 1
As of 2025, its listed partners included the Pipeline Legal Action Network (PLAN), the National Lawyers Guild (CLDC senior attorneys Lauren Regan and Marianne Dugan facilitate its Cascadia chapter), Protect the Protest (PtP), Protect Dissent, Promise to Protect, the Water Protector Legal Collective, Law for Black Lives, and Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC). 3
Activities
Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) was founded in 2003 by attorney Lauren Regan in a partnership with environmental and social justice groups. 1
Civil Liberties Defense Center was previously involved in defending Antifa supporter Alissa Azar after Azar was arrested during an altercation with alleged Proud Boys members in 2021 as well as several “Stop Cop City” activists involved in demonstrations within the state of Georgia. 2
Protests for Charles Landeros
In January 2019, Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) began an investigation into the police-involved shooting death of activist Charles Landeros on behalf of the latter’s family which included requesting the surveillance footage of the alleged incident. 4
That same month, CLDC published an obituary for Landeros on its website which claimed: “The lesson learned: the experience of dealing with police in America is different for whites and nonwhites…Charlie was of mixed Filipino and Mexican descent.” 5
Additional activities
In December 2024, Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) released a report entitled: “We Kicked Some Government Ass in 2014!” It detailed the various cases it conducted against “the State (cops, FBI, prosecutors) on behalf of activists, some of whom used “fireworks and “smoke bombs.”” 6
In March and April 2025, CLDC began holding virtual training seminars to groups in charge of the #TeslaTakedown demonstrations opposing Elon Musk’s role in the second Trump administration. CLDC executive director Lauren Regan reportedly advised activists to take note of their “geography” to avoid being arrested. 2
Leadership
Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) was founded in 2003 by attorney Lauren Regan. As of 2025, Regan works as its executive director as well as a staff attorney. 1
References
- “About.” Civil Liberties Defense Center. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://cldc.org/about/.
- Crozier, Hudson. “Legal Group Joining Anti-Tesla Movement Has Violent, Far-Left History.” Daily Caller, April 11, 2025. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://dailycaller.com/2025/04/11/legal-group-joining-anti-tesla-movement-has-violent-far-left-history/.
- “Coalitions.” Civil Liberties Defense Center. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://cldc.org/coalitions/.
- “Family of deceased wants access to video in wake of deadly police shooting outside school.” KVAL, January 15, 2019. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://kval.com/news/local/family-of-deceased-wants-access-to-video-in-wake-of-deadly-police-shooting-outside-school?fbclid=IwAR3kSOwI-aEgpXd4ki0OoA8awjisPRmZ_xmlVBNyyIwT1NOWA8p17aU2Aio
- Communications. “In Memoriam: Charles (Charlie) Landeros, 1988-January 11, 2019.” Civil Liberties Defense Center, January 12, 2019. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://cldc.org/in-memoriam-charles-charlie-landeros-1988-january-11-2019/.
- Communications. “We Kicked Some Government Ass in 2024!” Civil Liberties Defense Center, December 30, 2024. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://cldc.org/kicking-govt-ass-in-2024.