Will you sign the petition demanding the Department of Justice drop the lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center and stop its politically motivated attacks?
Dear MoveOn member,
The Trump administration is ramping up its attacks on civil rights groups—now indicting the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a racial justice organization based in the South that has been working for more than 50 years to build a society where Black and Brown communities can thrive.
This indictment is a blatant attack on our rights and the organizations and leaders who work to protect everyday people from hate and discrimination. Trump wants absolute power to steamroll over our communities—and he's trying to dissolve organizations like the SPLC in order to ensure no one gets in his way.
Add your name to the petition to make it clear that we will defend the Southern Poverty Law Center and all civil rights groups! Demand the Department of Justice (DOJ) drop these unjust charges NOW!
The SPLC’s now-defunct informant program—the focus of Trump’s indictment—began back in the 1980s to collect information and intelligence on violent extremist groups. "Taking on violent hate and extremist groups is among the most dangerous work there is, and we believe it is also among the most important work we do," said SPLC interim CEO and president Bryan Fair. "There is no question that what we learned from informants saved lives."1
This administration is dangerously trying to rewrite history—redefining "civil rights" and "discrimination," branding January 6 insurrectionists as heroes, and vilifying the courageous work of groups like the SPLC. Meanwhile, the White House has been repeatedly accused of mirroring white supremacist and hate groups in its own rhetoric, social media posts, and statements.2
We're calling this latest attack what it is: politically motivated retaliation. But we will not be intimidated into silence. Join us in demanding that Trump's DoJ drop the charges against the SPLC.
The SPLC was founded as a legal advocacy organization in Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. They have been working to advance the liberation of Black and Brown people ever since, organizing against white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). They have done this important work even in the face of violence and threats to their own staff’s lives.3
But the SPLC came under fire by right-wing conservatives and the Trump administration after Charlie Kirk's assassination due to their criticism of his organization, Turning Point USA, and its inclusion in their report "The Year in Hate and Extremism 2024." The report detailed the organization's role in electing Trump and far-right candidates, informing Project 2025, and culturally shaping the authoritarian landscape that currently exists.4
In response to the right-wing backlash, the FBI announced it was ending its relationship with the SPLC, which previously worked with the government on hate crimes and domestic extremism research and reporting.5
Intimidation is their strategy. Together, we can make it clear that their bullying won’t work. The work of the SPLC and the Civil Rights Movement exists because we need it—and we refuse to back down. Add your name to the petition now to demonstrate our collective solidarity!
Civil rights groups like the SPLC are at the forefront of ensuring that everyone in our country can live, love, vote, and exist free from discrimination. The people involved in these organizations train poll workers, run mutual aid networks, call out discrimination, and defend our right to protest. The Trump administration is trying to silence and erase voices doing this critical work because they are a threat to their authoritarian agenda.
The SPLC used their platform to expose hate—and we will do the same.
Add your name to the petition to show solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center and make it clear that Americans will not stand by quietly as the Trump administration silences free speech, punishes civil rights groups, and tries to discourage everyday people from exercising their fundamental rights.
Thanks for all you do.
–Aliya, Toni, Gabi, Kelsey, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Southern Poverty Law Center indicted on federal fraud charges," NPR, April 21, 2026
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/21/g-s1-118275/southern-poverty-law-center-fraud-charges-paid-informants
2. "White House post nods to racist, far-right subculture, extremism expert says," The Guardian, January 14, 2026
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/14/trump-administration-white-supremacist-language
3. "US charges anti-extremism organisation over payments to informants in hate groups," BBC, April 22, 2026
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyrkd022ejo
4. "Turning Point USA: A case study of the hard right in 2024," Southern Poverty Law Center, May 22, 2025
https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/turning-point-usa-case-study-hard-right-2024/
5. "FBI cuts ties with Southern Poverty Law Center after MAGA push," Politico, October 3, 2025
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/03/fbi-southern-poverty-law-center-cut-ties-00593416
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