Natalie Aleta Jackson

Natalie Aleta Jackson is an American trial attorney from Orlando, Florida. She is also known as an author and human rights activist. Her involvement in the Trayvon Martin case and her use of the #TrayvonMartin Twitter hashtag (considered by some a precursor to #BlackLivesMatter) has led to her being connected to the formation of that movement. She is frequently invited to speak on the Black Lives Matter movement. She is best known for her work on the Trayvon Martin case, though she has been mentioned in the media regarding a number of other high-profile cases. Jackson is a frequent commenter on ongoing cases for news publications.

Early life and education Jackson's father, Captain Nathaniel Jackson, Jr., died in Vietnam when she was two years old. Jackson is a navy veteran who performed a number of roles in the US Navy from 1986 to 1991 and again from 1994 to 1999, including serving on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and at the Pentagon as a Naval Intelligence Officer. graduating in 1994 with a BA in History.

Legal career After being admitted to the Florida Bar in 2003, Jackson along with her law school classmate, Sadiki Alexander, started a legal group called Jackson & Alexander in Sanford, Florida. Unable to gain traction, they was forced to shutter this business in 2006. Following a large monetary settlement in a 2007 case, Jackson formed the Women's Trial Group, continuing there in the role of founding attorney until 2013. with the purpose of settling. Jackson settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, concluding two separate claims she filed on behalf of Joe and Jurnee Woodard, the two surviving family members.

Torey Breedlove In January 2010, Torey Breedlove, suspected of auto theft, was shot at 137 times by 10 Orange County sheriff deputies as he attempted to leave a parking lot. According to witnesses at the scene, the officers were in plainclothes, their cars were unmarked, and they never identified themselves as police when they approached Breedlove's car with their weapons drawn. Natalie Jackson, on behalf of the Breedlove family, filed a lawsuit against the officers present, alleging excessive use of force. The presiding U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell denied the officers qualified immunity, saying that Breedlove's attempt to flee was reasonable, given the circumstances. He also called the shooting “more akin to an execution than an attempt to arrest an unarmed suspect,” noting that a reasonable jury could conclude the officers used excessive force. Following this judicial order, the two parties settled within three months. Jones was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing a school function in Lake Mary, Fla. Ultimately, Jones paid a $3000 fine and did community service.

Trayvon Martin On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman claimed self-defense; under Florida's “stand your ground” law, police claimed, they needed evidence contradicting Zimmerman's account before they could arrest him. Trayvon Martin's family hired the services of Attorney Ben Crump who, in turn, sought the assistance of Natalie Jackson. Zimmerman's trial began on June 10, 2013, in Sanford. On July 13, a jury acquitted Zimmerman of the charges of second degree murder and manslaughter. For three years, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigated Zimmerman on civil rights charges. In February 2015, the DOJ concluded there was not sufficient evidence that Zimmerman intentionally violated the civil rights of Martin,

Noel Carter In 2015, Noel Carter was arrested outside a nightclub in downtown Orlando, Florida. The lawsuit later filed against the police force claimed that he had been “brutally and viciously” beaten by two officers. Jackson filed a civil rights suit in 2019, and the case was settled in 2020. In 2020, after District Judge Roy B. Dalton Jr. denied the officer's qualified immunity claim, allowing the case to proceed trial, attorney Ben Crump, who frequently co-counsels with Natalie Jackson, joined the case. In April 2012, Jackson was interviewed by CNN concerning the charges against George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case, saying that the charges showed “Trayvon mattered.”