Who Made Civil Lawsuits The Trend? Morris Dee’s SPLC

Morris Seligman Dees Jr., born on December 16, 1936, in Shorter, Alabama, is a prominent figure known for co-founding the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in 1971 with Joseph J. Levin Jr. Before establishing the SPLC, Dees was an entrepreneur in direct-mail marketing, which he later utilized to fundraise for the civil rights organization.

His background in law, having graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1960, combined with his marketing acumen, allowed him to bring a unique approach to civil rights advocacy. Under Dees’s leadership, the SPLC became renowned for its legal battles against hate groups, notably the Ku Klux Klan, using innovative strategies like damage litigation to financially cripple these organizations. For the record, lets note that Morris Seligman Dees Jr. is Jewish. His middle name, Seligman, which reflects his Jewish heritage. Morris had bragged and spoke many times about how he wanted to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ.

The SPLC, under Dees, achieved several landmark victories that significantly impacted civil rights in America. One of their most notable successes was the lawsuit against the United Klans of America in 1987, which resulted in a $7 million judgment for the family of Michael Donald, a young African American man lynched by Klan members. This victory not only provided justice for Donald’s family but also effectively bankrupted the UKA, one of the largest Klan factions at the time. Dees’s legal strategy was to use civil lawsuits to hold hate groups accountable for their actions, often leading to substantial financial settlements that weakened these groups’ operational capabilities.

However, Dees’s tenure at the SPLC was not without controversy. In March 2019, he was dismissed from the organization amidst allegations of workplace misconduct, including racial discrimination and sexual harassment. These allegations suggested a discrepancy between the SPLC’s public mission of fighting against discrimination and the internal culture at the organization. Critics have pointed out that despite Dees’s public persona as a civil rights champion, there were internal issues that reflected poorly on his leadership. The dismissal led to a broader examination of the SPLC’s workplace environment, resulting in the organization commissioning an external review of its internal practices.

Despite the controversies surrounding his departure, Morris Dees’s legacy with the SPLC includes significant contributions to the fight against hate and discrimination. His work helped to redefine the landscape of civil rights litigation, focusing on using the legal system to dismantle hate groups financially and legally. Dees’s efforts earned him numerous awards, including the ABA Medal in 2012, the highest honor from the American Bar Association. His influence extended beyond legal victories, as he was also involved in fundraising and public education, making the SPLC one of the most financially robust civil rights organizations in the U.S., with an endowment that approached half a billion dollars by the time of his exit.