Morris Dees: More Than a Great Lawyer

…Today the SPLC monitors hate groups and tracks extremist activity throughout the country. It provides constant updates to law enforcement and the media. “Klan Watch” has evolved into what is now called the “Intelligence Project,” which monitors the broader and ever-expanding scope of hateful and violent activity that threaten the lives of each of us every day.

But Dees has never been able to enjoy his successes without the constant fear of reprisal. No less than 30 individuals have gone to prison for plotting to kill Dees or attack the Southern Poverty Law Center.

While we lawyers and judges sometimes and justifiably complain about being the target of unfair criticism, Dees has lived most of his life the target of a gunman’s bullet.