For years, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has targeted conservative organizations that disagree with its far-left agenda by putting them on its so-called "Hate Map." (pictured above)
But now, The Dustin Inman Society (DIS) and its founder and president, D.A. King, are fighting back with a defamation lawsuit against the self-described "catalyst for racial justice" for labeling his group an anti-immigrant hate group and for claiming that he "focuses on vilifying all immigrants."
Liberty Counsel is now part of the legal team representing The Dustin Inman Society, which is named in memory of a Georgia youth who lost his life to the crime of illegal immigration.
"We believe the fundamental duty of the federal government is to enforce federal laws, to secure American borders, and to protect the American people from unauthorized and uninspected border crossings," its mission statement reads. "We are proud to represent and be supported by a broad-based coalition of Americans of every race, ethnicity, and description -- including many immigrants."
"The Southern Poverty Law Center has made quite a racket out of its Hate Map and hate group designation," notes Harry Mihet, chief litigation counsel at Liberty Counsel. "It claims to police hate groups, but, in fact, what it does is it slaps the hate group label on ideological opponents -- those who disagree with the Southern Poverty Law Center on matters of religious expression, religious liberty, the family, life, and any other related issue."
He says it is time to hold the SPLC accountable.
"This lawsuit has survived a motion to dismiss -- the first lawsuit of its kind to now proceed to discovery," the attorney reports. "The court in Alabama concluded that the suit has stated the legal claims that are plausible, and now the case and the litigation will proceed to discovery and hopefully a jury trial at some point in the near future."
"We will seek to hold the Southern Poverty Law Center accountable for its misdeeds," Mihet states.
Noting that attackers have used the SPLC's hate list as a hit list on more than one occasion, Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver has said, "To falsely label nonviolent people or organizations with whom you disagree as 'haters' or 'hate groups' is irresponsible, dangerous, and deadly."
