ICCR’s legal work in support of shareholders’ rights (includes litigation and amicus briefs):
Key Legal Filings:
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- Congregation des Soeurs des Saints Noms de Jesus et de Marie sue UnitedHealth Group for unilaterally excluding their shareholder proposal from the company’s proxy on 03/20/26. The resolution addresses the consumer impacts and other consequences of UHG’s aggressive acquisition and vertical integration strategies.
- ICCR signed onto an amicus brief in support of Anthropic’s case suing the U.S. Department of War for sanctioning the company as a “supply chain risk” in retaliation for Anthropic’s refusal to enter into contracts with the War Dept without guardrails against the use of their AI technology in domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. 03/20/26.
- SEC Lawsuit. On 03/19/26, ICCR and As You Sow filed a lawsuit in federal court against the SEC, alleging that the SEC’s November announcement that it was withdrawing from the No Action process for shareholder proposals is a violation of the federal Administrative Procedure Act. We will be represented by Democracy Forward in this matter. See our press release.
- Nathan Cummings Foundation files Suit to prevent AXON from Excluding its Shareholder Proposal on Political Spending Transparency 02/18/26. AXON had notified the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of its intent to exclude the proposal, asserting that it constitutes “micromanagement.” AXON settled with NCF on 03/11/26 and will allow the proposal on its proxy.
- Motion for Summary Judgement regarding SB 2337 1/7/26. ICCR filed a Motion for Summary Judgment in its challenge against Texas statute SB 2337. ICCR’s suit, filed in federal court in November 2025 and joined by United Church Funds and Ceres, focused on a newly-adopted law that imposes unprecedented and burdensome unconstitutional obligations on ICCR and similarly-situated organizations.
- Amicus Brief: Slaughter v. Trump 11/13/25. ICCR joined this amicus brief challenging the Administration’s attempted firing of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter
- Lawsuit to Block Wide Enforcement of Texas Law That Restricts Shareholder Advocacy, Free Speech 11/10/25. ICCR joined a lawsuit to block wide enforcement of the new Texas law, SB 2337, that would prevent investors from having unrestricted access to expert advice about their investments.
- Amicus Brief in Support of Private Employers with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs, and Organizations that Support Them 9/24/25. ICCR signed onto this amicus brief in support of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs for business.
- Amicus Brief in Support of National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education 5/15/25. ICCR filed this amicus brief in support of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility principles for business.
- Amicus Brief in Support of the FTC’s Rule Banning Non-Compete Agreements 1/9/25. ICCR filed this amicus brief in the 5th circuit making the investor case in support of the FTC’s rule banning non-compete agreements.
- Amicus Brief in Support of the FTC’s Rule Banning Non-Compete Agreements 11/12/24. ICCR filed this amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit supporting the FTC against a challenge to the FTC’s rule banning non-compete agreements.
- Amicus Brief in Support of Nasdaq Diversity Rule 4/29/24. ICCR filed this amicus brief in support of the Nasdaq Diversity Rule that will provide a standardized disclosure tool for investors.
- Amicus Curiae Brief Submitted by ICCR in Support of the SEC in SEC v NCPPR Case 9/20/23. ICCR submitted this amicus curiae brief in support of the SEC in the case SEC vs NCPPR
- Reply in Support of a Motion for Summary Judgement 12/17/21. ICCR, As You Sow and Jim McRitchie filed this reply in support of their September motion for summary judgement.
- Motion for Summary Judgement 09/20/21. ICCR joined with plaintiffs in filing this motion for summary judgement in the 6/14/21 case.
- Lawsuit Seeking to Overturn Trump-Era SEC Rule Revision 6/14/21. ICCR, As You Sow and James McRitchie filed this lawsuit to overturn the SEC’s revisions to rule 14a-8
ICCR’s policy work in support of shareholders’ rights (includes public statements and letters):
Key Public Statements:
- ICCR Statement in Response to the Overturning of the Endangerment Finding 02/13/26. ICCR released this statement after the Environmental Protection Agency officially rescinded the Endangerment Finding, which has underpinned the ability of the federal government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, vehicles, and other heavy emitters.
- ICCR Statement on Immigration 02/03/26. ICCR released this statement in response to the anti-immigrant policies of the U.S. administration, the killing of civilians by federal agents and the increasing rollback of constitutional rights.
- ICCR Statement on SEC Decision to Bar Filing of Exempt Solicitations for all but the Largest Shareholders 01/28/26. ICCR released this statement following the SEC’s move to prevent the vast majority of shareholders from filing their Notices of Exempt Solicitation on the EDGAR platform, a vehicle via which shareholders have been able to communicate with other shareholders regarding recommendations either in support of or against resolutions put forth for a vote in a company’s proxy statement.
- In Defense of Shareholder Rights: Navigating the Current Policy Landscape 01/22/26. ICCR released this statement after the SECʼs Division of Corporation Finance announced that its staff will not during the 2026 proxy season respond to corporate no-action requests.
- ICCR Responds to Executive Order on Proxy Advisors and Shareholder Proposals 12/12/25. ICCR released this statement following an Executive Order directing federal agencies to consider actions targeting proxy advisory firms, shareholder proposals, and ESG investing more broadly.
- ICCR Letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins 11/05/26. ICCR and four other investor organizations, including the AFL-CIO, Ceres, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), Shareholder Rights Group, and US SIF submitted a letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins expressing serious concerns about his keynote speech at an October forum in Delaware. The speech triggered serious investor concerns regarding the Chairman’s approach toward the SEC’s shareholder proposal rule.