LDF Mourns the Loss of President Jimmy Carter, Lifelong Humanitarian and Champion for Civil Rights

Read a PDF of our statement here.

The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) mourns the loss of President Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. A lifelong champion of human rights and powerful proponent of racial justice in America, President Carter broke new ground during his political career and presidency to establish crucial progress towards equality and civil rights, including in partnership with LDF. Mr. Carter passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2024 in Plains, Georgia, preceded in death by his wife and former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter last year. Mr. Carter was 100 years old, the longest living president at the time of his death.

In response to the news of President Carter's passing, LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement:

"We deeply mourn the loss of President Jimmy Carter, an ardent torchbearer of human and civil rights whose steadfast commitment and advocacy to ensure equal opportunity for all transformed the nation. We extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones and hold them in our thoughts and prayers as they navigate this profound loss.

"Mr. Carter came from humble beginnings on his family's peanut farm and went on to accumulate incomparable achievements, including holding the highest office of the United States. At every step of the way, Mr. Carter embodied a deep resolve to uplift human value and unwavering compassion for the less fortunate. Despite growing up in the segregated South, Mr. Carter, inspired by his mother's own commitment as a nurse to treating patients across racial lines, sustained a deep-rooted value for equality that would go on to define his political career.

"Mr. Carter boldly broke the mold and disrupted the status quo with his principled leadership, acting courageously and consistently to advance a powerful humanitarian agenda. He advocated and led by example on integration, particularly challenging segregationist efforts as Georgia's 76th governor. As President, he introduced sweeping proposals to Congress to reform voting registration and dispute antiquated, restrictive voter suppression laws. He also worked diligently to nominate a record number of jurists from underrepresented racial and other backgrounds to federal judgeships.

"As proponents of and champions for affordable housing, Mr. and Mrs. Carter dedicated their post-presidency life to building homes with the organization Habitat for Humanity to provide stable housing for families in the United States and across the globe. President and Mrs. Carter also founded The Carter Center to 'wage peace, fight disease, and build hope' in nations around the world, which was among their crowning achievements. The Carter Center led an international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, increased and improved health care delivery systems across Africa, expanded efforts to diminish stigma against people with mental illness, led over 100 election monitoring efforts in 40 countries, advanced peacekeeping efforts in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Liberia, Sudan, Uganda, the Korean Peninsula, Haiti, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and strengthened international standards for human rights.

"In a statement following Mr. Carter's death, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in part, 'President Carter's commitment to international peace and human rights also found full expression after he left the presidency. He played a key role in conflict mediation, election monitoring, the promotion of democracy, and disease prevention and eradication.' As a result of President Carter's illustrious career as a world leader and humanitarian, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

"LDF had the opportunity to work with Mr. Carter during his presidency to advance vital policies around civil rights. In commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision, LDF's then-president Julius Levonne Chambers, then-Director-Counsel Jack Greenberg, and board member William T. Coleman, Jr. met to strategize on civil rights issues at the White House, including continued efforts to promote desegregation. His administration also actively engaged with LDF's former President and Director-Counsel Elaine Jones to ensure more diverse representation in the federal judiciary.

"We grieve this incalculable loss and will continue to work in service of racial justice to effect change in causes that Mr. Carter was so dedicated to advancing-including educational access, economic justice, and voting rights.

"Mr. Carter's powerful legacy demands that we reflect upon what we want for America's tomorrow and for presidential leadership-especially in these times. His life's work compels us to continue to challenge the status quo, work in service of a more inclusive society, and continue in his honor to raise the bar and create a multiracial democracy that serves all in the name of equality and justice."

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights law organization. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957-although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.