Civil and political rights, social justice activist
Known for
Founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center
Morris Seligman Dees Jr. (born December 16, 1936) is an American attorney known as the co-founder and former chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), based in Montgomery, Alabama. He ran a direct marketing firm before founding SPLC.[2] Along with his law partner, Joseph J. Levin Jr., Dees founded the SPLC in 1971.[3]: 132–33 Dees and his colleagues at the SPLC have been "credited with devising innovative ways to cripple hate groups" such as the Ku Klux Klan, particularly by using "damage litigation".[4]
On 14 March 2019 the SPLC announced that Dees had been fired from the organization and the SPLC would hire an "outside organization" to assess the SPLC's workplace climate.[5][6][7] Former employees alleged that Dees was "complicit" in harassment and racial discrimination, and said that at least one female employee had accused him of sexual harassment.[8]
^"SPLCenter.org: Morris Dees Biography". Southern Poverty Law Center. 2009. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
^"Attorney Morris Dees pioneer in using 'damage litigation' to fight hate groups". CNN. September 8, 2000. Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
^Cite error: The named reference Dees and Fiffer (1991) was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Sack, Kevin (May 12, 1996). "A Son of Alabama Takes On Americans Who Live to Hate". The New York Times.
^Hassan, Adeel; Zraick, Karen; Blinder, Alan (March 14, 2019). "Morris Dees, a Co-Founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Is Ousted". The New York Times.
^"Civil rights organization announces dismissal of founder". Washington Post. Associated Press. March 14, 2019. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019.
^Brown, Melissa (March 14, 2019). "Southern Poverty Law Center fires co-founder Morris Dees". Montgomery Adviser.
^Burch, Audra D. S.; Blinder, Alan; Eligon, John (March 25, 2019). "Roiled by Staff Uproar, Civil Rights Group Looks at Intolerance Within". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
Morris Seligman Dees Jr. (born December 16, 1936) is an American attorney known as the co-founder and former chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty...
Retrieved August 20, 2019. Dees, Morris; Fiffer, Steve (1991). A Season for Justice: The Life and Times of Civil Rights Lawyer MorrisDees. New York: Charles...
Classic Movies. United States. Retrieved July 17, 2018. "Line of Fire: The MorrisDees Story". Turner Classic Movies. United States. Retrieved July 17, 2018...
World Chad Episode: "Evie Nightinggale" 1991 Line of Fire: The MorrisDees Story MorrisDees Television movie 1991 Dead on the Money Carter Matthews Television...
was absorbed by the SPLC and the Anti-Defamation League, according to MorrisDees, founder of the SPLC. WAR was mentioned in the press when it was revealed...
activity and was convicted of threatening the civil rights activist MorrisDees. He was imprisoned from 1987 to 1990. In a 1988 sedition trial in Arkansas...
in the 1980 miniseries Top of the Hill, and as civil rights attorney MorrisDees in 1996s Ghosts of Mississippi. He also starred in the short-lived 1976...
the Case of the Silenced Singer Carla Peters 1991 Line of Fire: The MorrisDees Story Pat The Flash Linda Lake Episode: "Beat the Clock" Fire: Trapped...
University of Alabama School of Law to honor MorrisDees for his lifelong devotion to public service. Dees, who is co-founder and chief trial counsel for...
April 2020, taking over a position held for several decades by founder MorrisDees. Raised in East Tennessee, she attended and graduated from the School...
2007. MorrisDees and Steve Fiffer. Hate on Trial: The Case Against America's Most Dangerous Neo-Nazi. Villard Books, 1993. page 116 MorrisDees and Steve...
Wizard" Ron Edwards and the IKA for the actions of the IKA members. MorrisDees, together with William F. McMurry of Louisville, Kentucky, represented...
Fletch 1988 ALF (2 episodes) as Officer Gaffney 1991 Line of Fire: The MorrisDees Story (TV film) as Teddy Kysar 1995 MADtv (4 episodes) as Various Roles...
2017, MorrisDees, co-founder and chief legal counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center, gave the Commencement address to the Class of 2017. Dees received...
AllMovie". allmovie.com. Retrieved September 8, 2016. "Line of Fire: The MorrisDees Story (1991) - John Korty - Cast and Crew - AllMovie". allmovie.com....
Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston DeWayne TV movie 1991 Line of Fire: The MorrisDees Story Michael Donald TV movie 1996 Ed Stats Jefferson 1998 Overnight...
Brooklyn Bridge Katie Monahan TV series; 18 episodes 1991 Line of Fire: The MorrisDees Story Ellie TV film 1991 Shannon's Deal Neala Shannon TV series; 11 episodes...
approached by a lawyer working for the Southern Poverty Law Center, MorrisDees, who suggested suing the KKK. Donald agreed and became part of in the...
circumstances Line of Fire: The MorrisDees Story (1991) – drama television film based on the true story of MorrisDees, a civil rights lawyer from Alabama...
before he could be retried. Acting at the request of Beulah Mae Donald, MorrisDees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, and Michael...
Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2020. "MorrisDees, Willie Mays to receive honorary degrees at SF State Commencement". San...
College, former Alabama Judge and state Senator J. Richmond Pearson, and MorrisDees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The school offers a four-year...
legal circles and is treated almost as if he were an actual person." MorrisDees of the Southern Poverty Law Center cites Atticus Finch as the reason...
as Billie DeLaughter Brock Peters as Walter Williams Wayne Rogers as MorrisDees Bill Cobbs as Charles Evers Jerry Hardin as Grandpa Barney DeLaughter...
race." Metzger declared that they did a "civic duty" by killing Seraw. MorrisDees and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a civil suit against him, arguing...
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