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| Samuel Spital |
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| Todd A. Cox |
The Legal Defense Fund, which was founded in 1940 as the first civil rights law organization in the United States, named Samuel Spital and Todd A. Cox as joint associate directors-counsel. It's the first time since 2012 that two people will serve in the role.
In its announcement on Tuesday, the LDF called the dual appointment a testament to the institution's growth and the anticipated role the fund will play during the incoming Trump administration. The two will oversee the fund's litigation portfolio and advocate at the federal, state and local levels.
"The upcoming year is sure to test our democracy in unprecedented ways, underscoring the need for strategic thinkers and sharp leaders who are unbowed in their commitment to ensuring LDF is well positioned to lead in all the ways we will be called to in this new landscape," Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel at the LDF, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The LDF noted that the group has tripled in size since 2016, and in 2023, it opened its first-ever Atlanta office, serving as a hub for its work across the South on political participation, voting rights, educational access and criminal justice.
Spital has served as the LDF's director of litigation since 2017, having joined from Holland & Knight LLP, where he was a partner. He was additionally named general counsel in 2018. Spital has experience in civil rights litigation and is a recognized expert in death penalty law.
Since joining, Spital has been involved in dozens of Supreme Court briefs, including LDF v. Trump, in which the organization successfully challenged a presidential commission on "election integrity" amid false claims of widespread voter fraud in relation to the 2016 presidential race.
Spital received both his bachelor's and law degree from Harvard University and previously served as a lecturer in law at Columbia Law School.
"It is my honor to step into the role of associate director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund at this critical juncture and to work with my extraordinary colleagues to advance the strategic vision of this storied organization," Spital said.
Cox will be returning to the LDF on Feb. 3 following his tenure as vice president of programs at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. This is his third stint at LDF, having previously worked as the lead for its political participation team and as director of policy.
During President Barack Obama's administration, Cox worked as director of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Office of Communications and Legislative Affairs. He's also spent parts of his career with the U.S. Department of Justice as a trial attorney in its civil rights division, with the Ford Foundation as a program officer with its human rights unit, and the health nonprofit Mary's Center as its board chair.
Cox earned his bachelor's degree from Princeton University and his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
"I am honored to be returning home to LDF in this important role at this critical moment in our nation's history," Cox said in the announcement. "It is a privilege to work with exceptionally talented and committed colleagues to ensure we advance racial justice, which is foundational to our democracy."
--Editing by Robert Rudinger.
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