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Janai Nelson

@janainelson.bsky.social
13K followers 89 following 1K posts

President & Director-Counsel of LDF (NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.) the nation's premier racial justice & civil rights law organization. Posts are my own.

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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 2h
The Supreme Court’s disgraceful decision in Callais helped lead to the erroneous dismissal of our challenge to Tennessee’s heinous gerrymander that intentionally fractures Black communities and disenfranchises voters for the sake of raw partisan power. Our vote is a threat. Use it.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 8h
Great to sit down with @CUNYLaw to discuss my path as a civil rights lawyer that led me to LDF and to assume the W. Haywood Burns Chair in honor of this legendary human rights law activist and LDF alum. Doing my part to prep next gen lawyers for the fight. www.law.cuny.edu/newsroom_pos...
law.cuny.edu
Janai Nelson Brings a Legacy of Civil Rights Advocacy to CUNY Law
Janai Nelson knows precisely what it means to inherit a legacy—and what it means to carry it forward. As President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the nation’s premier civil…
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
2026 SCOTUS Term officially began yesterday. Here from LDF’s Associate Director-Counsel Sam Spital about what to expect. legaldefensefund.substack.com/p/5-question...
legaldefensefund.substack.com
5 Questions With a Supreme Court Expert as the New Term Begins
LDF’s Associate Director-Counsel Sam Spital on what to expect as the United States Supreme Court begins hearing oral arguments.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
30 Days until the very last day to vote! 1. Register & double-check your registration. 2. Vote early in person, if possible. 3. Request a mail-in ballot now if you need to vote by mail. 4. Make an Election Day plan: confirm polling site, transport, etc. 5. Work the polls: www.powerthepolls.org
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
From 1972-1976, LDF secured a historic nationwide moratorium on capital punishment, saving 600+ lives. We commend TN Gov. Lee’s halt of all executions, pending investigation into the botched execution attempt of Christa Pike & urge SCOTUS to do the same. www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...
pbs.org
Tennessee governor halts executions after Christa Gail Pike survives lethal injection attempt
Pike, 50, was alive and loudly snoring after the attempted lethal injection and taken by ambulance from the prison, her attorneys said. She was being treated at a hospital, but they said they hadn’t b...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In short, PCSA exploits Black college athletes by using their uncompensated talents to enrich college’s and universities and exacerbate racial wealth inequality. PCSA is now headed to the House. Call your representative and tell them to vote “no” on the PCSA: 202-244-3121 5/5
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Third, contrary to popular belief, PCSA does NOT guarantee HBCUs $1 billion in federal funding. Instead, it authorizes future Congresses to appropriate funds annually for a competitive grant competition to support HBCU media and technology infrastructure subject to a vote. 4/5
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Second, PCSA includes an unprecedented blanket antitrust exemption for the NCAA. In effect, the exemption bars student-athletes from suing the NCAA over disputes related to compensation, recruiting, transfers, and eligibility rules, among other potential issues. 3/5
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
First, PCSA fails to establish employment rights for student-athletes. The bill is “neutral” on student-athletes’ employee status, yet, resolves many important employment questions that would potential bind student-athletes if they later organize to bargain. 2/5
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
For decades, Black student-athletes have subsidized U.S. colleges & universities—& their athletic programs—by generating billions in revenue. The Senate just passed the so-called Protect College Sports Act which woefully fails to protect these athletes.1/5 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...
nytimes.com
Senate Resoundingly Approves Sweeping College Sports Measure
The outlook for the legislation, which seeks to stabilize the unsettled collegiate sports landscape, is uncertain in the House. It was one of the last congressional actions before the midterms.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Supreme Court Opens the Door for Potential Voter Purges. Here’s How You Can Fight Back legaldefensefund.substack.com/p/administra...
legaldefensefund.substack.com
Supreme Court Opens the Door for Potential Voter Purges. Here’s How You Can Fight Back.
IN BRIEF: Today, the U.S.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
LDF Strongly Condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision to Restore Trump Administration’s SAVE Database www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...
naacpldf.org
LDF Strongly Condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision to Restore Trump Administration’s SAVE Database
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision allowing the Trump Administration to resume use of the flawed, expanded federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database t...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Happy 10-year anniversary to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture—a place of reckoning and reimagination. Let’s support our institutions of memory and maintain durable spaces for truth to live. Please consider donating to NMAAHC: nmaahc.si.edu/connect/ways...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Verify your registration now and make a plan to vote early in person (or by mail if necessary) to give yourself time to flag and fix any errors. Discouragement is the aim. Determination is the antidote.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
SCOTUS undermined elections again in an unsigned 6-3 decision that revived the Trump Admin’s ability to use an error-prone federal citizenship check database that aggregates sensitive voter like social security numbers. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
DOJ’s decision to end its involvement in more than 50 longstanding school desegregation cases is an indefensible retreat from federal govt responsibility to ensure the promise of Brown v. Board of Education is realized in classrooms across the country. www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...
naacpldf.org
LDF Decries U.S. Department of Justice Dismissal of Over Fifty Federal School Desegregation Cases
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a misleading announcement, claiming that it had “ended” more than 50 federal school desegregation cases. The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) decried the...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Celebrating Carol Mason for winning a nearly 10-year battle after conviction for erroneously casting a provisional ballot while on supervised release. It’a time to reverse laws that unjustly strip citizens in the criminal system of their right to vote. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Texas woman triumphs as court upholds acquittal in voting error case
Crystal Mason has spent nearly a decade fighting conviction for casting provisional ballot that ultimately wasn’t counted
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Our prayers are with the family and friends of Nolan Wells in this dark hour. We renew our call to both Congress and the U.N. for an independent investigation into the recent suspicious deaths of Black people like Nolan Wells. www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...
naacpldf.org
LDF Calls for Congressional and United Nations Investigations into Suspicious Deaths of Black People in the United States
Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) submitted letters to Congress and to the United Nations urging officials to take immediate action to examine the growing number of suspicious deaths of Black people...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Kudos to the networks that have banned together to oppose Trump’s tyrannical attack on freedom of the press. Too many leaders of law firms, universities, and other corporations failed to follow this model of collective action to our collective detriment. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/b...
nytimes.com
Networks Suspend Pool Coverage of Trump After White House Bars CNN
The move was an escalation of President Trump’s showdown with the White House press corps after he moved to bar journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Gratitude to Nikole Hannah Jones for courageously revealing the silent calculus of Black parents in struggling to raise healthy & secure children in a country where Black children’s potential is systemically undervalued, undermined & too often unrealized. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...
nytimes.com
In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?
A decade ago, I made a decision about my daughter’s education that I hoped would challenge New York City’s separate and unequal school system. Now 16, she thinks I made the wrong choice.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The alarms are deafening. This is an all-out assault on free press and a desecration of one of the foundational principles of our constitution. Every journalist and side with access to Trump must use their influence to force him to reverse course or be complicit in his deepening authoritarianism.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Legal Defense Fund Celebrates Historic Enactment of Four State Voting Rights Acts in One Year as California Bill Is Signed into Law www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...
naacpldf.org
Legal Defense Fund Celebrates Historic Enactment of Four State Voting Rights Acts in One Year as California Bill Is Signed into Law
Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) of 2026 legislative package into law. The CVRA of 2026 consists of two bills (SB1164 and SB1360) that together wi...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Thrilled to be litigating with you, @normeisen.bsky.social. This moment is bringing true defenders of democracy closer together. And that’s a deliciously dangerous thing.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Here’s a link to the complaint: www.naacpldf.org/wp-content/u...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
BREAKING: NEW LAWSUIT ALERT We will NOT be intimidated in this election. Civil rights and labor coalition files federal lawsuit challenging threatened use of ICE and federal law enforcement at polling locations. www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...
naacpldf.org
Civil rights coalition files federal lawsuit challenging threatened use of ICE and federal law enforcement at polling locations
Lawsuit argues that the federal government is intimidating voters and chilling civic participation, violating the Voting Rights Act  WASHINGTON, DC — Nine organizations representing immigrants, commun...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
You can learn more about these framers of our multiracial democracy in LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute’s brief “America Is as Much Our Country as It Is Yours: What the Colorer Conventions Movement Teacher Us About Citizenship.” tminstituteldf.org/what-the-col...
tminstituteldf.org
"America Is as Much Our Country as It Is Yours"
The Colored Conventions Movement, which coordinated political gatherings of free and formerly enslaved Black people in the 19th century, can guide today’s understanding about the meaning of citizenshi...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Decades before and after the Civil War, free and formerly enslaved Black people gathered across the U.S. to engage in rigorous debate about principles of citizenship, voting, and civil rights. These conventions held from 1830 to 1869 laid the foundation for the freedoms all Americans enjoy today.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
On this Constitution Day, let’s lift up the Colored Conventions Movement, which shaped some of the most consequential provisions of this country’s foundational charter: the 13th, 14th & 15th Amendments, aka the “Reconstruction Amendments.”
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Here’s the opinion. Justice Kavanaugh’s concurrence and Justice Alito’s dissent, which Thomas joins leave the door open to future attempts but, for THIS election, mail-in balloting will proceed as usual. www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
VICTORY! The Supreme Court held the Postal Service CANNOT enforce restrictions on mail-in voting that would have disenfranchised countless voters after LDF and co-counsel blocked the rule on behalf of a coalition of nonpartisan organizations. When we FIGHT,we WIN! www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...
naacpldf.org
U.S. Supreme Court Blocks Postal Service From Restricting Mail Ballots
Court leaves a preliminary injunction in place through the November election; USPS cannot withhold mail ballots from voters  In a major win for voting rights, election integrity, and democracy, the U....
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
BREAKING: Supreme Court blocks Trump mail-in ballot plan, dealing a major blow to his voter suppression plan and a huge win for voters. politi.co/4xOzAF8
politi.co
Supreme Court blocks Trump mail-in ballot plan
Justices turn down administration’s bid to have Postal Service enforce new voting requirements before midterms.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
9/11 was an Election Day in NYC. I and several colleagues were in the office to staff an election protection hotline. We heard the attack on the first tower & saw the second from a rooftop. That day is forever seared in my memory. My heart goes out to all impacted by this tragedy
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
That beam when you know you just heard your colleague make the winning argument in her first appellate appearance. Our clients and legal team are fighting to preserve access to NYC’s specialized high schools and just defeated the latest attempt to undermine those efforts.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
LDF is the Legal Defense Fund, founded by Thurgood Marshall in 1940 to advance racial justice on behalf of Black communities. ABA is the American Bar Association.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
We thank Secretary Bunch for his extraordinary service to the Smithsonian and his leadership during these deeply troubling times. His remarkable legacy reminds us that preserving and sharing the full breadth of our history requires both brilliance and courage. www.naacpldf.org/news/ldf-sta...
naacpldf.org
LDF Statement on the Retirement of Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III
Read the PDF of our statement here. On Tuesday, Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III announced his retirement from the Smithsonian Institution, marking the end of his historic tenure as its 14th Secretary of...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
LDF Condemns ABA Decision Repealing Standard 206 That Advanced Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Law Schools and the Legal Profession and Calls on Law Schools to Continue Pursuit of these Lawful Goals www.naacpldf.org/news/ldf-con...
naacpldf.org
LDF Condemns ABA Decision Repealing Standard 206 That Advanced Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Law Schools and the Legal Profession and Calls on Law Schools to Continue Pursuit of t...
Read a PDF of our statement here. Today, the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted in a special session to rescind Standard 206, which required la...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Lonnie Bunch who lead the hallowed Smithsonian is one in a long line of talented leaders who have faced ongoing interference and harassment by the Trump Administration and are now no longer in public service. Our country is losing its best and brightest. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
nbcnews.com
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch is leaving amid tensions with Trump
Bunch, the first Black person and first historian to lead the institution, said he has “mixed emotions” about departing.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
A good day to re-up this demand. LDF Calls for Congressional and United Nations Investigations into Suspicious Deaths of Black People in the United States www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...
naacpldf.org
LDF Calls for Congressional and United Nations Investigations into Suspicious Deaths of Black People in the United States
Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) submitted letters to Congress and to the United Nations urging officials to take immediate action to examine the growing number of suspicious deaths of Black people...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Images shape perception. World maps across the globe have distorted actual geography for centuries. Kudos to the UN General Assembly for voting in favor of truthful cartography and shame on the US for demonstrating its “exceptionalism” by voting no. www.cnn.com/2026/09/04/w...
cnn.com
UN votes to adopt new map that makes our world look very different | CNN
The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday to adopt a new world map that reflects countries’ true relative sizes, after African nations urged the UN to right a centuries-old wrong.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
BREAKING: In a nearly 50-page opinion, a federal district court just granted our motion to enjoin the USPS Final Rule restricting mail-in ballots. The opinion states USPS “may not implement in any way and may not take any further preparatory steps to implement” the rule.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
We warned Texas’s Tarrant County Commissioners Court in Texas to reject any proposal to eliminate poll sites. They did NOT listen and now 92 polling sites are gone mere weeks before the midterms. www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...
naacpldf.org
LDF and Partners Issue Letter Urging Tarrant County to Reject Polling Place Closure Proposal
The Legal Defense Fund today issued a letter to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court in Texas, strongly urging them to reject any proposal to eliminate poll sites. The Commissioners Court recently a...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
LDF Condemns Proposed Treasury Department Rules that Would Pull Tax-Exempt Status from Schools Providing Aid to Black Students www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...
naacpldf.org
LDF Condemns Proposed Treasury Department Rules that Would Pull Tax-Exempt Status from Schools Providing Aid to Black Students
Read a PDF of our statement here.  Today, the U.S. Treasury Department proposed new regulations that would remove tax-exempt status from private universities, as well as private primary, secondary, pr...
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Excellent piece by @PrestonMitchum on why Rep. LaMonica McIver deserves our full and unqualified support in her fight against malicious prosecution for doing her job and protecting the welfare of her constituents. #mustread ourcommoncause.substack.com/p/whats-happ...
ourcommoncause.substack.com
What’s Happening to Congresswoman McIver Should Worry All of Us
This isn't just a story about a member of Congress. It's a warning about the cost of holding power accountable.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
For legal analysis of the limits of the SFFA decision in higher education, read our report: www.naacpldf.org/wp-content/u... Visit LDF’s Equal Protection Initiative site for additional resources. www.naacpldf.org/equal-protec...
naacpldf.org
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Trump‘s proposed weaponization of the IRS against educational institutions that support minority students tracks his continued bastardization of the SFFA decision and is wholly unlawful. It will be challenged in court and no school should obey in advance. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/b...
nytimes.com
Trump Moves to Strip Tax Exemption From Schools That Aid Minority Students
The Treasury Department released rules that would prevent schools with race-based programs from qualifying for tax-exempt status, a threat to both higher education and other private schools.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I will never forget the chills I felt when I first heard the ethereal voice of Cassandra Wilson matched by her glorious beauty and crown of locks. Of her many hits, Harvest Moon and her cover of Time After Time are absolutely unforgettable. Rest in peace, queen.
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Janai Nelson @janainelson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Rest in peace and power, Gloria Steinem. An extraordinary advocate, ally & an iconic global champion of feminism who always recognized Black womanhood in feminism’s origins & the intersection of racism & sexism.LDF is honored by your recognition:https://www.gloriasteinem.com/organizations-to-support
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