FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2012

NILC MOURNS THE PASSING OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER JOHN PAYTON

The National Immigration Law Center mourns the passing of John Payton, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Known as one of the most adept members of the Supreme Court Bar, Payton led the Legal Defense Fund to take on some of the greatest civil rights challenges in recent decades, including the fight to ensure that all people, no matter where they were born or the color of their skin, were not denied their Constitutionally-protected rights. He is survived by his wife, Gay, a prominent civil rights attorney. Below is a quote from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“With John Payton’s passing, the civil rights movement lost another giant. Payton rightly understood that a challenge to anyone’s rights threatens cherished Constitutional protections for all of us, and led the Legal Defense Fund accordingly. His brilliance, tenacity, and clarity in vision will be sorely missed.  John will be remembered as a visionary for the best our country can be.”

For more information, read John Payton In Memoriam.

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