Overview
- The Southern Poverty Law Center entered a not-guilty plea at a remote arraignment, which the parties held on Tuesday, to all 11 counts in the June superseding indictment.
- Prosecutors allege about $4.1 million in donated funds were routed to paid informants embedded in extremist organizations and say some payments were tied to recruitment and purchases such as KKK robes.
- The defense has filed a motion claiming the Justice Department leaked an unsigned draft of the superseding indictment and asked for an evidentiary hearing, with the government ordered to reply by July 13.
- The court has kept a trial date in the week starting Oct. 5, 2026, even as the parties dispute discovery and other pretrial procedures; a corporate defendant cannot be imprisoned but faces fines and possible restitution.
- The SPLC denies wrongdoing, says its informant program produced intelligence shared with law enforcement, and frames the prosecution as politically motivated while the DOJ says the case is driven by evidence.