Press Release Announcing NCBL SARDA Section

National Conference of Black Lawyers Unanimously Establishes SARDA to Confront Racial Disparities in Attorney Discipline

Washington, D.C. — The National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL) announced yesterday that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved the creation of a new national section: the Section on Abolishing Racist Disciplinary Actions (SARDA). The vote, taken at the national board’s Quarter Two meeting on April 26, reflects a growing consensus within the organization that attorney disciplinary systems across the United States require urgent scrutiny and reform.

SARDA is designed to serve as a national watchdog and advocacy body addressing the documented racial disparities in bar discipline and the increasing use of disciplinary processes against attorneys engaged in civil-rights advocacy. The Section will coordinate legal defense efforts, produce research and reporting, support impacted lawyers, and pursue strategic litigation and policy reform aimed at ensuring that disciplinary systems comply with constitutional guarantees of free speech, due process, and equal protection.

“Today’s unanimous vote reflects both urgency and clarity,” said Whitley Carpenter, of the North Carolina chapter and Co-Chair of the national organization with Mawuli Davis of the Georgia chapter. Amos N. Jones, NCBL Board Member and Co-Chair of the SARDA section, agreed. “Across jurisdictions, we are seeing patterns in which Black lawyers, particularly those who challenge systemic injustice, are subjected to disproportionate scrutiny and sanction. SARDA is the institutional response required to meet that moment,” he said. Jenipher R. Jones, Co-Chair of SARDA and a national board member in the Colorado Chapter, added: “The legitimacy of the legal profession depends on fairness in its own regulatory systems. SARDA will work to ensure that discipline is not weaponized to silence advocacy, but instead operates in a manner consistent with constitutional and ethical principles.”

The establishment of SARDA follows a series of high-profile disciplinary actions and emerging scholarship highlighting structural disparities within bar enforcement systems. Recent cases – including litigation involving the Girley family of lawyers’ Florida-based challenge to disciplinary sanctions before the United States Supreme Court earlier this year – have intensified national attention on whether existing frameworks adequately protect attorneys’ rights to speak on matters of public concern.

SARDA will immediately begin operations by assembling a national advisory group, launching a data-collection initiative on disciplinary outcomes, and developing coordinated legal strategies to challenge unconstitutional or discriminatory practices. The Section will also engage with bar associations, courts, and policymakers to advocate for reforms grounded in transparency, equity, and accountability.

About the National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL)

Founded in 1968 during a period of intense social upheaval, the National Conference of Black Lawyers was established by attorneys committed to defending Black activists and advancing the broader struggle for civil rights and human liberation. From its earliest days representing political prisoners and civil-rights leaders, NCBL positioned itself as the “legal arm of the movement for Black Liberation.”

Over the decades, the organization has expanded its work to include advocacy on issues ranging from criminal justice reform and educational equity to international human-rights struggles, including opposition to apartheid and support for liberation movements worldwide. Today, NCBL remains a volunteer-driven, movement-based nonprofit organization of lawyers, judges, legal workers, students, advocates, and organizers advancing racial justice through advocacy, education, and community engagement.