LEGAL REDRESS COMMITTEE
Protecting rights. Advancing justice. Building lasting reform.
The NAACP Des Moines Legal Redress Committee advances civil rights through legal advocacy, systems reform, public education, and partnerships that expand access to justice. For decades, volunteer attorneys and community advocates have worked together to challenge discrimination, strengthen civil rights protections, improve the fairness of public systems, and preserve the history of civil rights advocacy in Greater Des Moines.
NEED CIVIL RIGHTS HELP?
If you believe you have experienced discrimination, the NAACP can help you identify resources and possible next steps. The NAACP Des Moines Branch partners with the NAACP Iowa-Nebraska State Area Conference on all Legal Redress work, and complaints are submitted through the State Conference. Complaints are reviewed by NAACP volunteers, who may follow up with you for more information or a referral to the Civil Rights Clinic. The clinic is a partnership between the State Conference and the Iowa State Bar Association Civil Rights & Public Interest Law Section. It is offered monthly, with options designed to serve people throughout Iowa.
What to expect. The Legal Redress Committee and the Civil Rights Clinic are staffed by community volunteers and volunteer attorneys, and requests are often greater than our capacity. After you submit a complaint, it may take several weeks to hear back, and you may be placed on a waiting list for a consultation. The person who first contacts you may not be an attorney. If you are facing a deadline, do not wait for a response from us before contacting the appropriate local, state, or federal enforcement agency.
The Legal Redress Committee does not provide general legal advice. Submitting a complaint does not create an attorney-client relationship, guarantee legal representation, or guarantee an appointment with an attorney. Because legal filing deadlines may apply, individuals should not delay contacting the appropriate local, state, or federal enforcement agency.
HOW WE WORK
Legal Advocacy
Legal Redress attorneys participate in civil rights matters that can protect important rights, establish or defend legal precedent, or produce broader remedies for communities. The committee's work has included amicus curiae briefs, public comments, legal research, court-system advocacy, and collaboration with civil rights organizations and attorneys throughout Iowa and Nebraska.
Civil Rights Legal Clinic
The Civil Rights Clinic is a partnership between the NAACP Iowa-Nebraska State Area Conference and the Iowa State Bar Association. Because of that relationship, our Legal Redress Committee may refer people to the clinic when appropriate. At the clinic, volunteer attorneys offer free consultations that help people understand their options and possible next steps.
Fair Courts & Representative Juries
A major focus has been strengthening the constitutional promise that juries reflect a fair cross-section of the communities they serve. Work includes jury demographic data, jury-selection procedures, public access to information, and reforms designed to reduce racial exclusion from jury service.
Policy, Education & Systems Change
Not every civil rights victory begins in a courtroom. Legal Redress works through administrative advocacy, policy development, public education, legal scholarship, and sustained dialogue with decision-makers to address systemic barriers before litigation becomes necessary.
CURRENT WORK
The committee's current public work includes long-term jury fairness advocacy, access to civil-rights legal assistance, legal scholarship, and preservation of Des Moines civil-rights history.
Strengthening Fairness in Jury Selection
The committee continues work to improve jury selection and increase confidence that jury pools and panels fairly represent Iowa communities. Recent public work includes statewide discussions about jury-selection procedures, demographic jury data, and proposed reforms governing objections to discriminatory jury strikes.
Turning Civil Rights Advocacy Into Legal Scholarship
Co-Chairs Russell E. Lovell II and David S. Walker have documented lessons from NAACP jury-reform advocacy through published legal scholarship, including 2026 Nebraska Law Review work examining fair-cross-section protections and Nebraska's jury-data reforms.
Expanding Access to Civil Rights Legal Assistance
The NAACP/ISBA Civil Rights Clinic provides a recurring pathway for individuals who file discrimination complaints with the NAACP to receive free consultations with volunteer attorneys.
Preserving Des Moines Civil Rights History
Legal Redress is helping preserve the story of the litigation and federal Consent Decree that helped transform the Des Moines Fire Department.
SELECTED IMPACT
Fair and Representative Juries
For more than a decade, NAACP advocates have worked to improve access to jury demographic data, challenge racial underrepresentation, expand eligibility for jury service, and strengthen procedures used to protect representative juries.
Unbiased Policing & Criminal Justice Reform
Legal Redress has participated in advocacy concerning racial and ethnic profiling, unbiased policing, criminal justice policy, voting-rights restoration, juvenile justice, and other reforms affecting fair treatment.
COLLECTION IN DEVELOPMENT
Integration of the Des Moines Fire Department
Beginning in 1980, Black firefighter applicants and the NAACP Des Moines Branch challenged discriminatory barriers within the Des Moines Fire Department. The resulting federal litigation and 1984 Consent Decree required significant changes to hiring and employment practices.
LEGAL REDRESS RESOURCE LIBRARY
DOWNLOADABLE REPORT — FINAL WEB FILE COMING SOON
A Decade of Legal Advocacy: 2014–2025
Comprehensive report documenting litigation, policy advocacy, jury reform, public comments, legal scholarship, successes, and setbacks.
Court Briefs, Decisions & Public Comments
Selected primary legal materials connected to public Legal Redress advocacy.
Committee leadership
Russell E. Lovell II
Co-Chair
Professor Emeritus of Law, Drake University Law School, and longtime NAACP civil rights attorney and advocate.
David S. Walker
Co-Chair
Professor Emeritus of Law, Drake University Law School, and longtime NAACP civil rights attorney and advocate.
The Legal Redress Committee’s work is strengthened by volunteer attorneys, researchers, advocates, partner organizations, and community members committed to protecting civil and human rights.
CIVIL RIGHTS ARE ONLY REAL WHEN THEY CAN BE EXERCISED.
If you believe you have experienced discrimination, you do not have to determine the legal answer by yourself before reaching out. Tell us what happened. We will help connect you with the NAACP complaint process and available resources.
The NAACP is not a law firm. The Legal Redress Committee does not provide general legal advice. Submission of a complaint does not create an attorney-client relationship or guarantee legal representation. Individuals should be aware that legal and administrative filing deadlines may apply.