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A federal court in Maryland today rejected a second bid by the Trump administration to toss out a lawsuit challenging the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.
Latino voters and a grassroots organization will be allowed to intervene as defendants in a lawsuit filed by the State of Alabama that seeks to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2020 Census count of all persons in the United States, a federal court ruled today.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) announced the appointment today of Andrea Senteno as Regional Counsel for its Washington, D.C. office.
MALDEF is pleased to announce the recipients in its 2017-2018 Law School Scholarship Program.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement today in response to a lawsuit filed by the Texas Attorney General’s office against the City of San Antonio over an incident involving smuggled immigrants and the purported application of state immigration enforcement statute SB 4:
As MALDEF commemorates its 50th anniversary we thank you for your support past and present. Your contribution helps us protect the right to vote; to challenge the addition of a citizenship question to Census 2020; to remind everyone of the Constitutional guarantee of citizenship to all persons born in the United States; and to continue to defend education and employment rights.
On May 3, 2018, MALDEF filed a lawsuit, on behalf of an individual job applicant work-authorized through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which alleged that the plaintiff was denied the opportunity to compete for an employment position at Bank of America because he is a DACA holder.
Antonio Gonzalez, president of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP) and the William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI), died on November 11 after battling cancer.
A federal court today rejected the Trump Administration’s request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by civil rights organizations that challenges the addition of a citizenship question to Census 2020 on the grounds that it is discriminatory and motivated by racial animus.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), the nation’s leading Latino legal civil rights organization, marked its 50th anniversary last night at its 2018 Los Angeles Gala, which featured honors to four award recipients for their lasting and positive contributions to Latinos and all Americans.
Please attribute the following statement on the resignation of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Leo Estrada, associate professor emeritus of urban planning at UCLA and a fierce advocate for voting rights, civil rights, and political representation for Latinos, died on Nov. 3 after a lengthy illness.
The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday to bypass the federal appeals process and rule on its efforts to the end the DACA initiative.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement today in response to Donald J. Trump’s incorrect assertion that the Constitutional guarantee of citizenship to all persons born in the United States can be eliminated by executive order:
Voters around the nation face a critical mid-term election on November 6, 2018. There are numerous gubernatorial, senatorial, congressional, legislative, and local races for elected representatives on the ballot this fall.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement in response to the Senate’s 50-48 vote confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court:
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement in response to the procedural cloture vote that advances the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to a final vote before the full United States Senate:
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), the nation’s leading Latino legal civil rights organization, on Friday commemorated its 50th anniversary during its 2018 San Antonio Gala, which honored the remarkable work and achievements of four influential leaders in advancing the Latino community.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) kicked off a series of commemorative events to mark its 50th anniversary last night with a panel discussion on the civil rights organization’s legacy and ongoing work.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement in response to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s 11-to-10 vote to advance the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the full Senate:
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement today in response to the Trump administration’s proposed new rule that seeks to impose unprecedented and alarming limits on legal immigration and punish immigrants who legally access public services:
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement today opposing the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court:
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement today opposing the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court:
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), Nina Perales, vice president of litigation at MALDEF, and Karla Perez, a MALDEF client, issued the following statements in response to a federal court ruling today denying a request by Texas and nine other states for an injunction to block renewals of grants of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to hundreds of thousands of young immigrants nationwide.
The U.S. Supreme Court in June held that the Texas Legislature’s 2013 redraw of House District 90 was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. House District 90 was challenged by MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) on behalf of the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force and individual voters.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the followed statement today on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton repeated misstatements about legal challenges to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative:
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) will present oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit today on behalf of students denied admission to flagship schools in the University of Georgia system because of their immigration status.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) held a telephone briefing for reporters Wednesday to discuss a federal court hearing on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative.
The New Mexico Public Education Department has publicly stated that it intends to appeal a court ruling that the state has failed to live up to its constitutional obligation to provide a sufficient education to all students and must implement a remedial plan by next April.
A state court ruled today that New Mexico’s education system violates the state constitution because it fails to provide students a sufficient public education.
A digital services firm based in Silicon Valley illegally denied a paid internship to a qualified applicant based on her immigration status, according to a letter sent to California state labor officials today.
Civil rights attorneys are asking state officials to investigate Kern County prosecutors in connection with the recent filing of misdemeanor charges against a county supervisor.
The State of Alabama sued the federal government in May seeking to define undocumented immigrants as non-persons under the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, the state seeks to exclude these immigrants from the required Census count of all persons in the United States every 10 years.
Native American groups have joined a lawsuit filed by attorneys representing Latino and Asian American plaintiffs alleging that the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census was motivated by racial animus and will result in a severe undercount of minorities, according to civil rights attorneys.
The federal government announced today that it has rescinded policy guidance issued by the Obama administration to foster diversity in elementary and secondary schools and on college campuses. Please attribute the following statement to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
As Donald Trump passed 500 days in the White House earlier in June, the parameters of the administration’s approach to critical issues of concern to the Latino community have become even clearer. After 500 days, Trump has failed to nominate a single Latino to a federal court of appeals vacancy.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement on today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision undermining the effectiveness and strength of public sector labor unions:
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement on today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the immigration ban targeting Muslims:
Two women who say they were sexually abused by guards while detained at a Texas immigration center today issued a new request to federal authorities demanding an investigation into the mishandling of their cases and release of any probe of the facility, according to civil rights attorneys.
Please attribute the following statement on today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Abbott v. Perez to Nina Perales, vice president of litigation at MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund).
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement today in response to the Trump administration’s actions relating to the separation of families at the border this week:
Arizona must accept proof of work authorization as sufficient documentation from immigrants seeking to obtain driver’s licenses, a federal court ruled this week.
Civil rights, government and community leaders from the Chicago area and the nation joined MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) last night at its 2018 awards gala to honor the achievements of three exemplary leaders.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement today on the Trump administration's “zero tolerance” immigration stance that has led to forced separation of families and horrific accounts of children being taken from their parents:
MALDEF filed a lawsuit against the City of Placentia today for breaching a 2016 settlement agreement to secure Latino voting rights as required by the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
A federal appeals court panel ruled today that civil rights advocates can intervene in a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the City of Poway’s election system and challenges the constitutionality of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA).
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement regarding the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots and contemporary issues related to the demonization of Latino immigrants.
The City of Placentia, California is failing to comply with an agreement to draw a new council district map that ensures Latinos’ voting rights and risks legal action for breaching the settlement if it does not take immediate action, demand letters sent to the city warn.
A transgender man who is challenging an Indiana state law that bars immigrants from obtaining a change of legal name is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal trial court’s decision to dismiss his case, according to a petition for certiorari filed today.
The Trump administration’s eleventh-hour decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census violates the U.S. Constitution because it is racially discriminatory and could result in a severe undercount of minorities, according to a federal lawsuit filed today by nearly two dozen groups and individuals.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following response to a statement released today by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos attempting to explain her testimony before Congress:
Please attribute the following statement on today’s testimony by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
In a ruling that recognizes the critical right of all parents to participate in their children’s education, a federal court today rejected Gustine, California school officials’ attempt to dismiss a Latina mother’s lawsuit challenging the school principal’s decision to ban her from campus after she sought to protect her son’s education.
A federal judge today allowed nearly two dozen young immigrants who grew up in the United States and are recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to intervene in a lawsuit filed by Texas and six other states challenging the 2012 immigration initiative.
Nearly two dozen young immigrants who grew up in the United States and are recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are asking a federal court to allow them to intervene in a lawsuit filed this month by Texas and six other states challenging the 2012 initiative.
Texas and six other states filed a lawsuit this week challenging the constitutionality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. Here is a timeline prepared by MALDEF of significant dates in the history of DACA.
Bank of America illegally denies employment to qualified applicants based on their immigration status even though they are authorized to work in the United States, a lawsuit filed in federal court today charged.
Please attribute the following statement in response to a lawsuit filed by Texas and six other states challenging the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Renowned broadcast journalist Maria Elena Salinas, civil rights leader Brent A. Wilkes, and Verizon executive Emilio Gonzalez were honored Wednesday at the 2018 MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) Washington, D.C. Gala.
A New Jersey financial services firm illegally denied a qualified applicant a job as an independent financial advisor because of his immigration status, a class-action lawsuit filed this week in federal court alleges.
A federal class-action lawsuit claiming that the consumer product giant Procter & Gamble discriminated against qualified immigrants with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) when it refused to consider them for paid internships will move forward.
MALDEF and attorneys for Kern County, California announced an agreement today on a new Board of Supervisors districting plan that will respect Latinos’ right to elect candidates of their choice.
Please attribute the following statement on the passing of Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement on the U.S. Commerce Department’s decision to include a question about citizenship on the 2020 census:
Griselda Vega Samuel, an attorney whose specialties have included working with low-income clients and advocating on behalf of human trafficking victims, has joined MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) as its new Midwest Regional Counsel, leading its Chicago office.
The United States Supreme Court decided today to let stand a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that barred Arizona from denying driver’s licenses to people protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative.
Federal immigration officials agreed on Friday to release a Salvadoran asylum seeker who was denied adequate medical care while detained at a Texas immigration detention facility, according to her attorneys.
On Tuesday, MALDEF went before a federal court judge in Austin on behalf of Laura Monterrosa-Flores, a Salvadoran asylum seeker who has been denied adequate medical care for her mental health needs by officials at the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, an immigrant detention facility in Taylor, Texas, and by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Please attribute the following statement on the decision from a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturning most of a preliminary injunction barring implementation of the bulk of the anti-immigrant Texas SB 4 law to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF:
Please attribute the following statement on Donald Trump’s trip to Southern California today to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF:
Attorneys for a Salvadoran asylum seeker who has been denied adequate medical care for her mental health needs will be in court March 13th seeking her immediate release from immigration detention.
It is with deep sadness that MALDEF announces the passing of former president and general counsel Joaquin G. Avila, whose long career at the civil right organization and in the community was highlighted by his landmark work in voting rights advocacy and litigation.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued California on Tuesday, challenging three state laws that address immigration overreach by federal officials. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions today sought to justify the lawsuit during a speech in Sacramento.
Six months ago, the Trump Administration announced that today would be the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. Court orders have extended the initiative.
Following a federal judge’s ruling that a redistricting plan adopted in 2011 by the Kern County, California Board of Supervisors unlawfully denies Latinos the right to elect candidates of their choice, MALDEF and attorneys for the county will return to court tomorrow for the remedial phase of the case.
A civil rights group asked a federal court today to order the immediate release from immigration detention of a Salvadoran asylum seeker who has attempted suicide and has been denied adequate medical care for her mental health needs.
A motion filed by a coalition of civil rights groups to voluntarily dismiss their claims against the discredited and now-disbanded “Election Integrity Commission” has been approved by a federal court judge.
A federal court has granted a request by MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) and TCRP (Texas Civil Rights Project) to temporarily block a 2018 rule adopted by the Commissioners Court of Starr County that prohibits “electioneering” during voting periods on properties owned or operated by the county.
A federal court judge dismissed a lawsuit today that sought to overturn the City of Poway’s election system and challenged the constitutionality of the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
A redistricting plan adopted in 2011 by the Kern County, California Board of Supervisors unlawfully denies Latinos the right to elect candidates of their choice, in violation of Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a federal judge ruled today in a landmark lawsuit filed by MALDEF.
Two civil rights groups asked a federal judge today to block an order adopted last month by Starr County, Texas banning political advocacy on county-owned property.
A lawsuit challenging the Lake County Sheriff’s Office decision to detain a Honduran man for immigration purposes despite a judge’s order to release him will move forward, a federal judge ruled this week.
Please attribute the following statement on the potential economic impact of immigration policy currently under debate in Congress to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF, issued the following statement today in reaction to last night's State of the Union address:
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement today in response to a call by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) for U.S. Capitol Police to carry out immigration enforcement actions at tonight’s State of the Union address:
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement today in response to the Trump administration's outline of proposed legislation on immigration:
Motel 6 violated the civil rights of Latino immigrants and other guests by alerting federal authorities that they had rented rooms at two Phoenix locations, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the name of eight plaintiffs affected by the motel practice.
Please attribute the following statement on the Senate vote ending the federal government shutdown without an agreement on the future of immigrant youth previously protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement on the government shutdown and Trump Administration:
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on Donald Trump's recent racist comments:
The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will hear a case over whether Texas’ congressional and State House district boundaries discriminate against Latinos and other voters of color.
MALDEF sent a letter to the Victor Elementary School District in Victorville today warning that its at-large system of electing Board of Trustees members violates the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA).
Attorneys from MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) and the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty (the Center) have filed closing briefs for their consolidated lawsuit (Martinez v. State of New Mexico and Yazzie v. State of New Mexico) against the State of New Mexico for its failure to provide all public school students a sufficient education as mandated by the New Mexico Constitution.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement today in response to the Trump Administration’s announcement that it will end temporary protected status (TPS) for more than a quarter of a million immigrants from El Salvador:
Please attribute the following statement on Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan’s threat to criminally prosecute leaders of sanctuary jurisdictions to MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz:
Please attribute the following statement on the Trump executive order disbanding a commission formed to investigate non-existent voter fraud to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Trial in a lawsuit filed by MALDEF alleging that Kern County, California has violated the federal Voting Rights Act concluded in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California this week. It was the first federal Voting Rights Act trial in California in over a decade and a half.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement today following a vote by the Lodi City Council to adopt a resolution of intent to move from an at-large to a district-based election system.
A MALDEF attorney, who represents an immigrant woman who was arrested and deported from the United States despite having a visa authorizing her to be in the country, will present oral argument Wednesday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
A lawsuit filed by MALDEF alleging that Kern County, California has failed to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act goes to trial in federal court tomorrow.
A lawsuit filed by MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) alleging that Kern County, California has failed to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act goes to trial in federal court on December 5.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issues statement in response to the Trump Administration's announcement that it will end temporary protected status (TPS) for refugees displaced by a devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement today in response to letters sent by the U.S. Department of Justice demanding that 29 jurisdictions engage in immigration enforcement efforts:
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, former Attorney General of New Mexico Patricia Madrid, and artist and muralist Barbara Carrasco were honored Thursday at the 2017 MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) Los Angeles Gala.
Civil rights advocates are asking a federal court to allow them to intervene in a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the City of Poway’s election system and challenges the constitutionality of the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) will return to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday, Nov. 7, to present argument on Texas SB 4.
MALDEF will host its 2017 Los Angeles Awards Gala honoring the work and achievements of three influential leaders, on November 9, 2017, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel at 6 p.m.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement today on the appointment of Victor G. Viramontes as a Los Angeles County Superior Judge.
Texas Senate Bill 4, the so-called “sanctuary cities” bill signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott and scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1, 2017, was blocked, in large part, by a federal court order in late August.
Please attribute the following statement on Monday’s decision by a federal court judge blocking the Trump administration’s ban on transgender people serving in the military to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement today in response to the detention of Rosa Maria Hernandez, a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who underwent emergency gallbladder surgery in Texas.
MALDEF sent a letter to the City of Lodi today warning that its at-large system of electing council members violates the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA).
A U.S. District Court judge this week granted a motion to remand a lawsuit challenging California’s failure to ensure adequate access to care under Medi-Cal back to state court.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) announced the appointment of Celina Moreno as interim Southwest Regional Counsel on Oct. 2.
The Trump administration this week released a list of punitive anti-immigrant guidelines that it says must be enacted as part of any legislation that addresses the plight of undocumented young immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement today in response to a new report by the Office of Inspector General County of Los Angeles.
California Senate Bill 54, which enacts important limits on cooperation by state and local officials with federal immigration authorities, was signed into law today by Gov. Jerry Brown. Please attribute the following statement to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Pasadena Mayor Jeff Wagner and MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) announced today that the City and plaintiffs have reached a settlement of the litigation in Patino v. City of Pasadena, which was a challenge to Pasadena’s election system that was adopted through a charter amendment approved in a 2013 election.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement today announcing that MALDEF filed a notice of cross-appeal of U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia's ruling in the lawsuit against Texas SB 4.
Texas Senator Sylvia R. Garcia, Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, and visual artist Jesse Treviño were honored Friday at the 2017 MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) San Antonio Gala.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) will present oral argument to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Wednesday.
A panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit today largely denied a motion by the State of Texas to allow portions of Texas' SB 4 to take effect, but permitted limited implementation, pending resolution of a full appeal, of two of the law's provisions that had previously been blocked.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) will present oral argument to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Friday in opposition to an emergency order requested by the State of Texas that would allow Texas’ SB 4 to take effect.
Good afternoon. My name is Thomas A. Saenz, and I am president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), which, next year, will celebrate 50 years promoting the civil rights of all Latinos living in the United States.
A Merced County elementary school principal violated a Latina mother’s constitutional rights by banning her from campus in response to criticisms of her son’s treatment in class, a lawsuit filed in federal court alleges.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), released the following statement today in response to the U.S. House of Representatives vote passing the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act bill (H.R. 3697):
Reacting to concerns that its elections process shuts out Latinos and a threat of legal action, the Antelope Valley Community College District Board of Trustees adopted a resolution this week to convert elections for board members to a district-based system.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) will present oral argument to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Wednesday.
Please attribute the following statement on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to the United States Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit seeking to stay a federal district court’s injunction blocking implementation of Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
The Illinois Institute of Technology fired a 63-year-old Latino employee months after he began scheduling regular meetings to discuss maltreatment of Latino faculty and staff, according to a complaint filed today alleging age and race discrimination.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that the Trump Administration will rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, caving in to a threat by 10 states, led by Texas, that they would sue the federal government if DACA was allowed to continue.
he White House announced on Friday that it will release its decision on the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative on Tuesday, Sept. 5. In anticipation of the decision, MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) has prepared this timeline of significant dates in the history of DACA.
Please attribute the following statement on Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery's decision not to pursue a legal challenge of DACA to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund).
Yesterday, LatinoJustice PRLDEF and MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) in challenging the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
A federal court has partially granted a request to block Texas from implementing Senate Bill 4 (SB 4).
A civil rights group is urging the Arizona Supreme Court to uphold a trial court’s ruling that allows a community college to charge young immigrants granted federal protection from deportation a lower in-state tuition rate.
Civil rights groups and the California Secretary of State vowed Friday to work together to combat the Trump Administration’s efforts to suppress minority voting while also urging the White House to keep in place Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a 2012 initiative that protects some young immigrants from deportation.
Please attribute the following statement on Donald J. Trump’s pardon of Joe Arpaio, the disgraced former sheriff of Maricopa County, AZ, to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
A federal court today struck down portions of the current Texas redistricting plan for the State House of Representatives.
"If Donald Trump were to pardon the infamous Joe Arpaio today, it would be the most naked pander to a shrinking and dubious political 'base' since... well, last Tuesday. Any presidential pardon is completely premature for the following reasons:
The Pasadena Unified School District failed to carry out its obligation under state law to investigate a complaint that an elementary school principal threatened to report an individual to immigration authorities, according to a lawsuit filed today.
California officials late last week acted to transfer to federal court a lawsuit challenging the state's failure to ensure adequate access to care under Medi-Cal, which has affected all Medi-Cal participants, a majority of whom are Latino.
Please attribute the following statement on Donald J. Trump’s assertions Tuesday that "both sides" are to blame for the violence that erupted over the weekend at a white supremacists' rally in Charlottesville, VA to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund)
A federal court today struck down portions of the current Texas congressional redistricting plan.
Demonstrating how inextricably conflicted he is about condemning racism and the targeting of racial minorities, Donald Trump apparently informed Fox News of an extraordinary potential for further hypocrisy on the very same day that he continued to refuse to condemn white nationalism and instead deployed high-level White House officials to re-interpret his previous remarks.
MALDEF joins in condemning the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Va. and the violence that the protests engendered.
In a well-reasoned written decision, United States District Judge Sam Sparks yesterday rebuked Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton's premature Austin-based litigation to defend the constitutionally-flawed SB 4.
Today marks the last day of testimony in a nine-week trial against the state of New Mexico, in a case that alleges the State has violated the constitutional rights of its public school students.
An argument by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. that federal law permits the bank to discriminate against certain immigrants was rejected by a federal judge, ruling in a lawsuit alleging that the financial giant illegally denied qualified applicants, including college students, loans because of their alienage or immigration status.
Please attribute the following statement on legislation introduced Wednesday by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) that would severely curb legal immigration levels to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Please attribute the following statement on reports that the Department of Justice is planning to investigate college and university affirmative action admissions policies to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Please attribute the following statement on the conviction of Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., for criminal contempt of court to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
A threat by the State of Texas to amend a lawsuit to include a belated challenge to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative should be thrown out on the grounds that the original lawsuit is not related to DACA, according to a motion filed in federal court today.
MALDEF is pleased to announce the recipients in its 2016-2017 Law School Scholarship Program.
Latino and Black students enrolled in the Kern High School District, together with their parents and community activist organizations Dolores Huerta Foundation, National Brotherhood Association, and Faith in Kern, obtained a historic settlement in their challenge to discriminatory practices.
The settlement approved today with the Kern High School District (KHSD) Board of Trustees is the result of a three-year court battle to stop years of discriminatory discipline practices that deprived African American and Latino students of their right to an education.
Procter & Gamble illegally denied qualified applicants paid internships because of their immigration status, according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court.
State officials are violating the civil rights of 13.5 million individuals enrolled in Medi-Cal, the health insurance program for low-income Californians, a majority of whom are Latino, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
This coming Monday, MALDEF will be presenting its witnesses in federal court for the third in a series of trials on Texas redistricting and the discriminatory drawing of district lines.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) will represent the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force and 17 individual Latino voters at a five-day trial starting Monday challenging the Texas Legislature’s 2013 redistricting plan for the Texas House.
Please attribute the following statement on the letter from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and 10 other states demanding that the federal government rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Celebrating a landmark decision that brought equal protection rights to millions of immigrants, top former and current MALDEF lawyers and the University of Houston Law Center will host a panel discussion on Tuesday to mark the 35th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court's historic ruling in Plyler v. Doe, which guaranteed all children access to a free public education from kindergarten to 12th grade, regardless of immigration status.
A diverse group of civil rights supporters, government and community representatives, and notable leaders from the Chicago area and around the nation gathered Thursday night to celebrate the achievements of three exemplary leaders as MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) hosted its 2017 awards gala at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) on Monday asked a federal court to block Texas Senate Bill 4 from taking effect.
MALDEF and the University of Houston Law Center will host a panel discussion next week to mark the 35th anniversary of the United State Supreme Court’s historic ruling in Plyler v. Doe, which guaranteed all children access to a free public education from kindergarten to 12th grade, regardless of immigration status.
On May 8, the State of Texas named MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) in a preemptive lawsuit against those with the temerity to publicly challenge Texas SB 4, the anti-immigrant statute signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, based solely on MALDEF’s stated intention to bring a court challenge against the draconian law.
Please attribute the following statement on the U.S Department of Homeland Security’s memo rescinding Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) to MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz:
On June 15th, 1982, the United States Supreme Court handed down a historic ruling that guaranteed all children access to a free public education from kindergarten to 12th grade, regardless of immigration status.
The District of Columbia will no longer deny college tuition assistance to U.S. citizens based on their parents' immigration status, according to MALDEF.
A state-court trial will start Monday in a landmark education lawsuit that alleges New Mexico is violating the state constitutional rights of students placed at risk.
TEXAS SUED MALDEF FOR QUESTIONING THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF SB 4.
The City of San Antonio and three non-profit organizations are asking a federal court to block Texas from implementing Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), arguing that the controversial law is unconstitutional, according to a lawsuit filed this afternoon.
A New Mexico court will consider, among other issues, whether to sanction state education officials for failing to disclose information to MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) in a landmark lawsuit that alleges New Mexico is violating the state constitutional rights of economically disadvantaged students.
THE STATE OF TEXAS IS SUING MALDEF BECAUSE WE THREATENED TO CHALLENGE SB 4. WE ARE NOW PREPARING THAT THREATENED SUIT AGAINST THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND ANTI-IMMIGRANT SB 4.
Please attribute the following statement on a Texas court ruling ordering state education officials to cease bypassing existing school funding rules to Marisa Bono, Southwest regional counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
A grocery store in Northern California and a company it uses for janitorial services harassed Latino employees and unlawfully fired one of them after they complained about the hostile work environment, a federal lawsuit filed today by MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) on behalf of the workers charges.
Please attribute the following statement on reports that an immigration agent sought a fourth-grade student at a New York City school to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) is providing the following statement on today’s executive order establishing an advisory commission on voter fraud.
Please attribute the following statement on the filing of a federal lawsuit today by the State of Texas against MALDEF to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Please attribute the following statement on the signing by Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas' so-called "sanctuary cities" bill (SB 4) into law to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
MALDEF is providing the following data on the potential impact of SB 4 on Texas residents. The information is based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey.
Please attribute the following statement to Marisa Bono, Southwest regional counsel, MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
A request by the Tucson Unified School District to be released in part from court supervision of its desegregation plan is premature and should be rejected, attorneys for Latino students argued in an opposition brief submitted to a federal court today.
Please attribute the following statement on Texas' so-called "sanctuary cities" bill, SB 4, to Marisa Bono, Southwest regional counsel, MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
Please attribute this statement on Donald Trump’s executive order requiring the U.S. Department to review federal oversight of K-12 education policies to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) is asking a state court to issue an emergency order to stop Texas education officials from continuing to illegally bypass existing rules involving school funding.
Please attribute this statement on U.S. District Judge William Orrick’s ruling that Donald Trump’s executive order threatening to pull funding from sanctuary communities is unconstitutional to Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund:
U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada), the first Latina to be elected to the United States Senate, will be the featured speaker on Thursday, April 27, at the 2017 MALDEF Awards Gala in Washington, D.C.
A federal court on Thursday struck down a 2011 redistricting plan for the Texas State House on the grounds that it is racially discriminatory and unlawfully dilutes the voting strength of Latinos.
An Illinois man who has been unlawfully detained by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on an indefinite "immigration hold" is asking a federal court to step in, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Please attribute the following statement to MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz:
Texas education officials illegally changed how property taxes are calculated in wealthy school districts, with the effect of substantially reducing the funds available for schools in poorer districts, a lawsuit filed Thursday charged.
Consistent with its mission to promote through the legal system the civil rights of all Latinos living in the United States, MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) has generally taken a public position in support of or in opposition to Supreme Court nominees.
The Antelope Valley Community College District’s current at-large system used to elect the five-member Governing Board violates the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA), according to a civil rights group.
MALDEF sent a letter Tuesday to the Santa Ana City Council urging officials to reject a proposal to negotiate a new contract with federal immigration authorities.
A federal court ruled Friday that the Texas Legislature’s 2011 redistricting plan for congress discriminated against Latino voters in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution.
A U.S. citizen who was denied college financial aid solely because her mother is an immigrant with temporary status is suing the District of Columbia, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) challenged a provision of Texas’s HB 11 that made it a new state felony to "harbor" someone in the United States without legal documents.
Please attribute the following statement on the Trump administration's plan to revive and expand the use of the controversial program known as 287 (g) that deputizes local law enforcement officers to act as immigration agents to MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz.
MALDEF is greatly concerned about widespread reports of increased federal immigration activities in the interior of the United States.
Please attribute the following statement on the confirmation process of Sen. Jeff Sessions to be U.S. Attorney General to MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday during his State of the State address that he will ban so-called “sanctuary cities,” and withhold funding from those jurisdictions that decline to engage in federal immigration enforcement.
Please attribute the following statement opposing confirmation of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education to MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) will present oral argument to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. MALDEF will be arguing in opposition to a request by the City of Pasadena, Texas to use the election system that was struck down by a lower court in the City’s 2017 municipal elections.
Wells Fargo & Co. illegally denied qualified applicants, including a college student, loans because of their immigration status, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday.
Please attribute the following statement on today's announced changes to immigration enforcement to MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz.
Civil and immigrants' rights attorneys asked a federal court on Friday to temporarily block Arizona from continuing to deny certain lawfully present immigrants, including survivors of domestic violence, access to driver's licenses.
Civil and immigrants’ rights groups will present oral argument before a federal court on January 20th, asking the judge to issue a preliminary injunction ordering Arizona to provide driver’s licenses to applicants who have received deferred action.
The City of Pasadena, Texas illegally and intentionally sought to dilute Latino voting power when it changed the system used to elect its city council members, in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act, a federal judge ruled Friday.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) will present oral argument at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017, asking the court to uphold a federal court’s preliminary injunction blocking Texas from enforcing a provision in HB 11 that makes it a crime to harbor or conceal someone who is in the U.S. without legal documents.
Chaffey Community College District voted Thursday to change the way it elects representatives to the five-member Governing Board.
Please attribute the following statement on the recommendations released Thursday by the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) on the use of private, for-profit immigration jails to Andrea Senteno, a legislative staff attorney with MALDEF. Senteno provided comment during a recent public meeting of the HSAC.
Please attribute the following statement on Rep. Xavier Becerra's appointment to be the next attorney general of California to MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz.
Two Latino residents are suing King City officials and a local towing company for illegally seizing their vehicles without a warrant and then demanding exorbitant fees to recover the cars.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) today released a fact sheet designed to help students, educators, and social service providers navigate the potential implications of a Trump presidency on immigration policy.
Less than two weeks after Donald J. Trump was elected president, two national civil rights groups announced the launch of a joint legal defense fund aimed at protecting and advancing immigrants' civil rights in the United States.
Texas education officials on Wednesday said no to a controversial Mexican American Studies textbook, in a 14-0 preliminary vote.
A federal court trial begins Thursday in a closely watched lawsuit that alleges voting discrimination against Latinos in Pasadena, Texas.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) hosted its annual 2016 awards gala on Thursday.
In the aftermath of Tuesday's election, reports have surfaced of problems at schools, including anti-immigrant bullying.
Please attribute the following statement to MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz.
MALDEF is demanding that election officials in Dewitt and Harris Counties, Texas stop providing false information about voter identification rules at polling places.
In a letter sent today to Victor Valley Community College District officials, MALDEF warned that the current at-large system used to elect the five-member Board of Trustees violates the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA).
A state judge today ordered election officials in Bexar County, Texas to immediately remove all illegal voter ID signs from the early voting polling places and replace them with accurate information.
In a letter sent today to Chaffey Community College District President Henry D. Shannon, MALDEF warned that the current at-large system used to elect the five-member Governing Board violates the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA) by diluting the Latino vote and preventing Latino voters from electing candidates of their choice to serve on the board.
Bexar County officials are illegally enforcing the Texas voter ID law struck down as racially discriminatory, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) must change the way it elects members to its Board of Trustees or face legal action, according to MALDEF.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) today announces its endorsement of California’s Proposition 62.
MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz and former President and General Counsel Vilma S. Martinez today issued the following statements in response to the passing of Jack Greenberg, a crusading civil rights attorney who served as the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s Director-Counsel from 1961 to 1984, and was instrumental in helping establish MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund).
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) today released a first-of-its-kind toolkit designed to help undocumented youth obtain the critical records needed to apply for temporary relief from deportation under President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative.
Dozens of counties in Texas are violating the federal Voting Rights Act by failing to provide bilingual voting information on their websites, including information on polling places, according to MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund).
MALDEF announced today its strong support for Proposition 58, one of many statewide initiatives on the California ballot on November 8.
The United States Supreme Court today denied a petition to rehear United States v. Texas, a case challenging the constitutionality of President Obama's executive actions on immigration, including the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the initiation of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA).
MALDEF is pleased today to announce the recipients in its 2015-2016 Law School Scholarship Program.
A California District Court of Appeal panel has refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a coalition of civil rights groups against Kern High School District (KHSD) over disciplinary policies that unlawfully target African American and Latino students.
The Arizona Attorney General's Office today issued an opinion establishing guidelines for the implementation of two remaining provisions of the state's 2010 racial profiling law, SB 1070. With the opinion, the organizations that brought Valle del Sol et al. v. Whiting et al. have agreed to conclude this challenge to SB 1070, which has largely been rendered unenforceable by the courts.
The La Mirada City Council voted Tuesday to change its current at-large voting system to a district-based election system. The vote comes less than a month after the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) threatened to sue the city because it was in violation of the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by MALDEF and Transgender Law Center on behalf of a 31-year-old Indiana resident, alleges that a 2010 state law requiring proof of citizenship to obtain a change of legal name is unconstitutional.
Immigrant and civil rights groups have filed a legal challenge to Arizona's policy of denying certain lawfully present immigrants access to driver's licenses.
On Friday, September 9, 2016, MALDEF, the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization, hosted its 2016 San Antonio Gala and honored the remarkable work and achievements of three influential leaders in advancing the Latino community.
A federal court today cleared the way for a lawsuit challenging Kern County's failure to comply with the 1965 Voting Rights Act to move to trial.
Three students are suing the University System of Georgia because of policies that ban them from attending the state’s top school because of their immigration classification. The lawsuit was filed today by MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) and Horsley Begnaud, LLC on behalf of three immigrant students who were granted deportation deferrals through the Obama Administration’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative, known as DACA.
MALDEF supports the U.S. Department of Education's proposed regulation on school funding, released yesterday. The regulation would implement a school finance provision known as "supplement not supplant" in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, reauthorized in December 2015 as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
A federal judge in Texas today left in place a stay on a prior order requiring that the personal information of some 50,000 immigrant youth be handed over to the court.
A third-grade teacher who punished her students for speaking Spanish in her classroom has been reassigned just days after MALDEF contacted school officials about the incident.
U.S. District Court Judge Lee H. Rosenthal's decision comes nearly two years after MALDEF first sued Pasadena on behalf of five Hispanic residents when city officials moved to replace the eight single-member voting districts with a hybrid system that includes two at-large seats. The lawsuit argues the new system seeks to dilute Hispanic voting strength.
Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the Board President and Superintendent of the Victor Valley Union High School District ("Victor Valley UHSD"), demanding that the system for electing members to the Board of Trustees be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act ("CVRA").
Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the Mayor of Monrovia and the Monrovia City Council, demanding that the system for electing members to the city council be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the Mayor of Chino Hills and the Chino Hills City Council, demanding that the system for electing members to the city council be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the Mayor of La Mirada and the La Mirada City Council, demanding that the system for electing members to the city council be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
Today, MALDEF announced the favorable outcome from a lawsuit it filed against Illinois Governor, Bruce Rauner, in April, seeking enforcement of the Illinois Gubernatorial Boards and Commissions Act ("The Act"). The Act requires Governor Rauner to publish information about the ethnicity, gender and disability status of applicants and appointees to state boards and commissions.
A MALDEF lawsuit filed in April aimed at stopping the exclusion of Mexican Americans from being buried in a "Whites Only" Cemetery came to a swift end Friday when the Normanna Cemetery Association agreed in court that its policy is discriminatory and violates the rights of Latinos.
Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the Mayor of Redlands and the Redlands City Council, demanding that the system for electing members to the city council be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
This morning, the Supreme Court affirmed the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Fisher v. University of Texas, and held that that the University of Texas at Austin's race-conscious admission program is lawful under the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 4-4 non-decision, failed to act on President Obama's executive actions on immigration. Today's ruling creates no new law and does not decide whether DAPA and Expanded DACA are legal. Instead, it leaves in place a lower court block of the initiatives pending further litigation.
Yesterday, Judge Stephen J. Murphy of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan ruled that MALDEF's lawsuit against Systems USA Inc. and Systems USA Consulting LLC for violating the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) should proceed as a class action.
MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, releases a statement in reaction to the tragic loss of so many innocent lives this past weekend in Orlando, Florida.
MALDEF welcomes Texas House Speaker Joe Straus' directive to his colleagues to review key aspects of Texas' school finance system and to make recommendations that would improve its efficiency and educational quality.
Today, leading national Latino organizations came together in a telephonic press briefing to denounce the racist rhetoric aimed at U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel by Donald Trump.
MALDEF was in United States District court today seeking to stop the federal government's release of personal information on ten of thousands of young immigrants.
A ruling last week by the Kern County Superior Court denied the Kern High School District's (KHSD) request to dismiss the discrimination lawsuit filed against it by Latino and Black students.
Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the Mayor of Rialto and the Rialto City Council, demanding that the system for electing members to the city council be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
A federal judge in Brownsville, Texas has ordered that the federal government provide him the names and addresses of over 100,000 recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in Texas v. United States, the pivotal case challenging the constitutionality of President Obama's executive actions on immigration.
Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the Board President and Superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District ("Sequoia UHSD"), demanding that the system for electing members of the board of trustees be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act ("CVRA").
Today, in a disappointing blow to equal educational opportunity, the Texas Supreme Court reversed a 2014 trial court ruling that declared the current state school finance system constitutionally inadequate, unsuitable, and inequitable for Texas school children.
Today, MALDEF filed a lawsuit in a Texas federal court against the Normanna Cemetery Association and its caretaker for maintaining a policy of burying only Anglos in the San Domingo Cemetery, in violation of state and federal prohibitions on race and national origin discrimination.
Today, MALDEF filed suit against the Kern County, California Board of Supervisors, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, for violating Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Today, MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, presented oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Texas, a case challenging the constitutionality of President Obama's executive actions on immigration, including the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the initiation of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA).
Today, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the immigrant harboring provision of HB11, which was enacted in the 2015 Texas Legislative Session.
Today, MALDEF and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) announced a settlement in the first-ever lawsuit alleging violations of California's TRUST Act, which limits the situations in which local law enforcement agencies may detain individuals on the basis of immigration hold requests.
Today, MALDEF and its co-counsel announced that three New Mexico state legislators have filed a request to join a lawsuit to block the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department and Secretary Demesia Padilla (collectively, "TRD") from continuing to unlawfully withhold millions of dollars from immigrant taxpayers who use federal Individual Tax Identification Numbers ("ITINs") to file their returns.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday affirmed a lower court's ruling that permanently blocks Arizona from denying driver's licenses to immigrants who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Late last week, MALDEF filed a lawsuit against Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner asking the court to order the Governor to comply with the Illinois Gubernatorial Boards and Commissions Act ("the Act"). The Act requires Governor Rauner to publish information about the ethnicity, gender and disability status of applicants and appointees to state boards and commissions.
Today, MALDEF and the law firm of Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian, & Ho sent a letter to the Mayor of Eastvale and the Eastvale City Council, demanding that the system for electing members to the city council be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision upholding the long-standing and ubiquitous practice of equalizing electoral districts based on total population. The ruling came in a case, Evenwel v. Abbott, challenging the use of total population under the "one person, one vote" doctrine.
This week, MALDEF formally requested an injunction in state district court against the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department and Secretary Demesia Padilla (collectively, "TRD") to prevent them from continuing to unlawfully withhold millions of dollars from immigrant taxpayers who use federal Individual Tax Identification Numbers ("ITINs") to file their tax returns until two pending lawsuits, originally filed in February of 2015, are resolved.
Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the Board President and Superintendent of the Lawndale Elementary School District ("Lawndale ESD"), demanding that the system for electing members of the board of trustees be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act ("CVRA").
MALDEF and five other legal organizations that advocate for the rights of immigrants sent a letter to Gov. Doug Ducey yesterday explaining the severe legal and policy implications of an unconstitutional, anti-immigrant bill that is moving in the Arizona Legislature.
Today, MALDEF, along with local counsel Horsley Begnaud, LLC, filed a federal-court lawsuit against the University System of Georgia, challenging a policy denying in-state tuition to individuals lawfully present as recipients of deferred action from the United States government.
The agreement calls for a host of actions to be taken by the Placentia City Council, including placing a Charter Amendment Measure on a statewide general or special election ballot that will convert the current at-large election system to one that is district-based.
Today, MALDEF reached a settlement agreement with the Fallbrook Public Utility District (FPUD) in San Diego County, California to change its current at-large election system to a by-district system for each of the five seats on the FPUD Board of Directors.
Today, MALDEF defeated yet another effort by the national airline cleaning company Gate Gourmet, Inc. to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the company's unlawful employment practices.
Today, MALDEF filed a legal challenge to Texas House Bill 11's immigrant harboring provision, which targets workers at immigrant shelters and landlords who rent to undocumented immigrants.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to review Texas v. United States, a case challenging the constitutionality of President Obama's executive actions on immigration, including the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the initiation of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA).
On December 31, 2015, the Kern County Superior Court ruled that Latino and Black Plaintiffs may proceed against the Kern County Office of Education and Superintendent Christine Lizardi Frazier with their claims that the agency and Superintendent failed to take steps to ensure that students in the Kern High School District (KHSD) and alternative schools run by the Kern COE were not subjected to discrimination and denied equal educational opportunity.
California violates the civil rights of millions of Latinos by providing low reimbursements to physicians and other care providers in the Medi-Cal program for low-income Californians, according to a complaint advocates filed with the federal government yesterday.
Late last week, in a resounding victory for Texas students, anti-immigrant advocates dropped a lawsuit that sought to deny state college aid to undocumented youth.
Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the City of Placentia, demanding that it convert its at-large elections system to a district-based system that affords Latino voters an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice to the Placentia City Council, in accordance with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 ("CVRA").
MALDEF has long called for a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), but has insisted that any reauthorization must embody the law's civil rights legacy adapted to our nation's new and emerging demographics.
MALDEF and the California League of United Latin American Citizens ("CA LULAC") today sent a letter to Anaheim, California Mayor Tom Tait warning that delaying the election in the only district designed to provide a voting rights remedy to Latino voters puts the city at risk for liability under the federal Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Today, MALDEF announced the scholarship recipients in its 2014-2015 Law School Scholarship Program.
Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an order allowing MALDEF's clients, three mothers from south Texas who intend to apply for Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), to participate as parties in the appeal recently decided by a Fifth Circuit panel.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has granted MALDEF's clients the right to intervene in Texas v. United States, a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the expansion of the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and the creation of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA).
MALDEF and LatinoJustice PRLDEF filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court last Monday in Fisher v. University of Texas on behalf of 25 Texas and national Latina/o organizations, including UT students in support of the race-conscious college admissions plan.
On Friday of last week, a stipulation to provide Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) magnet schools needed support was filed in the historic desegregation case, Mendoza v. Tucson Unified School District. Under the court-adopted Unitary Status Plan (USP) developed by the parties and Special Master to resolve the 40-year old case, magnet schools are to strengthen their students' academic achievement and increase integration.
Plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona's SB 1070, Valle del Sol v. Whiting, announced Monday that they will appeal part of the trial court's summary judgment decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Yesterday, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR), an independent and bipartisan agency that advises the President and Congress on civil rights matters, released its report on the state of civil rights at immigration detention centers in the United States.
Yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law SB 600, a bill authored by Senator Richard Pan, barring discrimination based on citizenship, language, or immigration status.
On Tuesday, September 1, 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM CDT, MALDEF will present oral argument before the Texas Supreme Court in Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition vs. Williams, the largest school funding case in Texas history.
Yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB 560, a bill authored by Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez barring the consideration of a child's immigration status in civil actions.
Yesterday, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the federal Voting Rights Act, MALDEF—which litigated against Texas Voter ID in the preclearance phase—congratulated the plaintiffs and welcomed the Fifth Circuit ruling that the Texas voter ID law disproportionately impacts Hispanic and African-American voters, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
MALDEF today sent a letter to Fullerton Joint Union High School District, demanding that it change its at-large elections system to a district-based system that affords Latino voters an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice to the Fullerton Joint Union High School Board, in accordance with the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 ("CVRA").
This morning, MALDEF Vice President of Litigation Nina Perales will present oral argument before a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to argue for the intervention of three potential applicants for Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) in Texas v. United States, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of DAPA and the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which was first implemented in 2012.
MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, released the following statement supporting the bicameral Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, introduced today by several Members of the House and Senate. The legislation is the latest action by Congress to restore the federal review of voting changes in states with a history of discriminating against minority voters.
Today, MALDEF filed suit against Fallbrook Public Utility District, in San Diego Superior Court, for violating the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). The District uses an at-large method to elect its Board Members, and as a result there has been no Latino representation on the Board for decades.
Yesterday, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Ernest Hiroshige denied a Pomona College effort to avoid trial in a lawsuit MALDEF filed against the college in the summer of 2013 for race and gender discrimination.
African American and Latino Plaintiffs suing Kern High School District and other state and county officials in a civil rights action were not surprised to hear that an expert, Dr. Jon Eyler, presented a report to the Kern High School District indicating that African American students are subject to double the rates of discipline as white students.
Today, MALDEF sent a letter to the City Manager and City Attorney for the City of Garden Grove, demanding that the system for electing city council members be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). Garden Grove currently elects city council members using an at-large method that has denied Latino residents the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. MALDEF demands the system be changed to a district-based system.
Today, MALDEF filed a lawsuit against Gate Gourmet for unlawful employment practices. Gate Gourmet, a contracted cleaning service for Delta Airlines at LAX, illegally prohibited its employees, including those who only speak Spanish, from using Spanish during work hours, including rest and meal breaks, and threatened to replace employees who complained about management.
Late Tuesday, Judge Arthur T. Anderson of the Superior Court of Arizona ruled that students granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are eligible for in-state tuition at the Maricopa County Community College District.
MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz released the following statement in response to today's hearing in the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, which questioned the role of "birthright citizenship," a longstanding emblem of equality and inclusion:
This week, MALDEF sent a letter to several Fallbrook Public Utility District Board Members, demanding that the system for electing board members be changed to comply with the California Voting Rights Act.
MALDEF condemns the decision by producers of Fox daily talk show "The Real" to dress their hosts in costumes stereotyping Mexican culture during a recent segment on cooking quesadillas on March 10, 2015.
MALDEF strongly supports a bill introduced late last week by Texas State Representatives Armando Walle and Mary Gonzalez, HB 3671, the only comprehensive school finance bill filed during the 84th Texas Legislative Session.
As MALDEF continues to challenge discriminatory practices across the country against individuals seeking employment under the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program (DAPA) and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), California Assembly Member David Chiu last week introduced AB 1065, a bill extending state-law employment protections against immigration-related discrimination, a bill that MALDEF sponsors.
MALDEF proudly sponsors AB 560, a bill introduced last week by California Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez (D-51), that would bar immigration status from consideration in civil court proceedings in which child victims seek damages for intentional or negligent acts that harm them.
Late Monday, United States District Court Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald granted Plaintiffs' motion to remand a lawsuit for violation of the California TRUST Act back to State Superior Court in Los Angeles. MALDEF, together with co-counsel from the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and the Immigrant Rights Clinic at the University of California at Irvine School of Law, filed the action in state court on October 8, 2014.
After a federal judge in Brownsville, Texas, late Monday night announced his order to temporarily halt administrative relief, MALDEF announced plans to appeal the judge's earlier denial of intervention to three individuals intending to seek deferred action under President Obama's announced program of reasoned prosecutorial discretion.
Today, MALDEF filed two lawsuits in state district court against the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department and Secretary Demesia Padilla (collectively, "TRD") for unlawfully withholding millions of dollars from immigrant taxpayers using federal Individual Tax Identification Numbers ("ITINs") to file their tax returns.
Last week, MALDEF and pro bono counsel, O'Melveny & Myers and Frank Costilla, filed a motion to intervene on behalf of three individuals who would qualify for relief under the administrative action on immigration announced last year by President Barack Obama.
Late yesterday, a federal district court judge in Arizona permanently blocked a ban on drivers' licenses for immigrant youth ordered by Governor Jan Brewer.
Today, the City of Bellflower voted to place on the November 2016 ballot an ordinance that would change the at-large election system to a by-district system for each of the seats on its City Council.
MALDEF filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Chase) in Los Angeles County Superior Court late last week for unlawful discrimination against former Vice President of Community Development Banking, Jesus Leon.
Earlier this week, in two orders, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reaffirmed steps taken to move toward favorable resolution of the historic desegregation case, Mendoza v. Tucson Unified School District (TUSD).
Immigrant youth will be allowed to receive driver's licenses in Arizona while the Supreme Court considers whether or not to hear an appeal of a Ninth Circuit ruling in Arizona Dream Act Coalition v. Brewer, a lawsuit challenging the state's denial of licenses to immigrants who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) under a federal program.
Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected a request to reconsider its earlier ruling that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's denial of driver's licenses to certain young immigrants is unconstitutional.
Today, MALDEF announced the twelve recipients of its 2014 law school scholarships, doubling the number of law school students receiving the scholarships from last year. MALDEF has annually awarded scholarships to five or more law students of up to $5000 each.
Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel, MALDEF, released the following statement today after President Obama announced his plan for executive action on immigration.
On the cusp of a critical presidential announcement of broadened affirmative relief for immigrants currently unprotected by law, an important decision emanated from federal court last week.
LGBT and civil rights organizations strongly urge President Obama not to exclude long-resident LGBT individuals from the forthcoming program of administrative relief to protect from deportation some of the nation's population.
Today, MALDEF filed suit against the City of Pasadena, Texas, challenging the city's new voting system, which was adopted last November in a close election.
Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas dismissed Evenwel v. Perry, a lawsuit which attempted to force the Texas Legislature to redraw its Senate District boundaries based on the voting electorate rather than total population numbers.
Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed a decision by the federal district court in Kansas, which ordered the federal government to add onerous voter registration requirements to the federal voter registration form.
The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 39 of the nation's preeminent Latino organizations, calls on President Barack Obama not to delay in fulfilling his promise to grant affirmative relief from deportation to as broad a range of undocumented immigrants as possible.
Although midterm elections too often receive less attention than presidential elections, this November, voters nationwide will cast ballots to elect significant state and national leaders.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California once again rejected a request for a new trial in the Flores v. City of Westminster case late last week.
Yesterday, Judge Sarah Singleton, in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico, rejected the State's Motion to Dismiss in Martinez v. State of New Mexico, a case brought by MALDEF on behalf of parents and students who are low-income, English Language Learners ("ELL"), and/or receiving special education services.
Although midterm elections too often receive less attention than presidential elections, this November, voters nationwide will cast ballots to elect significant state and national leaders.
A coalition of civil rights legal advocates, including MALDEF, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., Equal Justice Society, and Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc., today filed suit in Kern County Superior Court to compel Kern High School District (KHSD) to eliminate a variety of discriminatory disciplinary policies and practices that disproportionately impact students of color.
The Latino Victory Foundation, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Education Association, and Labor Council For Latin American Advancement/National Hispanic Leadership Agenda gathered today to mobilize Latino voters across the nation to fight anti-immigrant efforts.
MALDEF, together with co-counsel from the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and the Immigrant Rights Clinic at the University of California at Irvine School of Law, today filed a lawsuit, Flores v. City of Baldwin Park, alleging that the Baldwin Park Police Department and the City of Baldwin Park unlawfully imprisoned Sergio Flores at the Baldwin Park Police station, detaining him solely on the basis of an "immigration hold," in violation of the California TRUST Act.
MALDEF and the Wage Justice Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of two car wash workers -- "Carwasheros" as they identify themselves -- who were fired after participating in a wage class action suit against their employers.
Attorneys from MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), the Immigration Rights and Civil Rights Clinics at the University of Texas Law School, Human Rights First, and the Law Office of Javier N. Maldonado, filed a complaint earlier this week with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demanding the immediate investigation of and swift response to widespread allegations of sexual abuse and harassment at the detention center in Karnes City.
Today, Travis County District Court Judge John K. Dietz issued his final judgment, declaring the current Texas school finance system inadequate, unsuitable, and inequitable for Texas school children under Article VII, Section 1 of the Texas Constitution, and in violation of the prohibition on a state ad valorem tax under Article VIII, Section 1-e.
A group of civil rights advocates including California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., Equal Justice Society, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc., and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) today filed an administrative complaint with the California Department of Education ("State") demanding that it directly intervene and investigate the illegal school funding allocations of over 6 million dollars by the Kern High School District ("Kern District") and Kern County Office of Education ("Kern County").
MALDEF and twelve other LGBTQ, Latino, and Asian American advocacy and civil rights organizations yesterday sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to ensure that any affirmative relief for undocumented immigrants does not unfairly exclude members of the LGBTQ community.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California rejected a request for a new trial in the Flores v. City of Westminster case earlier this week.
A complaint filed today with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development challenges a resolution passed by League City, Texas, that denies housing to child refugees in their city.
Today, in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the University of Texas at Austin's holistic admissions plan, affirming the university's ability to consider the race of an applicant as one of many factors in its admissions decisions.
Today, MALDEF, together with the law firm of Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho, and the Law Offices of Robert Rubin, filed suit against the City of Bellflower for violating the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 ("CVRA").
Late last night, the City of Merced voted to place on the November ballot an ordinance that would change the at-large election system to a by-district system for each of the six seats on the Merced City Council.
Today, MALDEF filed suit in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan against Systems USA Inc. and Systems USA Consulting LLC for violating the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and the Michigan "Minimum Wage Law."
Today, MALDEF filed an amended complaint in Martinez v. State of New Mexico, adding claims seeking equal educational opportunity for students with disabilities in the state.
Two weeks before the one-year anniversary of the infamous Shelby County v Holder Supreme Court decision, which dealt a severe blow to every American's voting rights by incapacitating a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA), MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), and National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), today released a new policy report that details the far-reaching discrimination faced by Latino voters in recent election cycles.
Today, MALDEF and the Multicultural Education, Training and Advocacy, Inc. (META), filed federal court papers on behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), seeking to require that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and two individual school districts, the Southwest and North East Independent School Districts in San Antonio, effectively monitor, implement, enforce and supervise programs for ELLs.
Today, MALDEF filed Rocha Herrera v. Finan in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina Spartanburg Division, against the board members of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, asserting that they violate the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Judge James Rigali of the California Superior Court for the County of Santa Barbara has scheduled a June 17, 2014 hearing in Putney v. Garietz.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has granted MALDEF's request for a stay of a recent court order that disrupts the national system of registering voters in federal elections.
MALDEF, together with the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), today released a report that assesses the unprecedented deportation rate of the last six-years, the devastating impact these deportations have had on vulnerable Latino families, and seeks to outline actions toward a more fair and just immigration policy in the United States.
MALDEF prevailed in its efforts to ensure access to court in an ongoing class action lawsuit filed on behalf of employees-or "Carwasheros," as they identify themselves- of three car washes operating in Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
Today, MALDEF congratulated the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) for its approval of a measure asking publishers to develop instructional materials for locally developed courses next year in Mexican American, African American, Native American, and Asian American Studies.
The state court considering an unusual case in which Arizona is suing one of its own community college districts for recognizing that Arizonans should be treated equally, has granted MALDEF's motion to intervene to represent Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students attending the Maricopa County College District (MCCD).
MALDEF has appealed a recent court order that disrupts the national system of registering voters in federal elections.
MALDEF today sent a letter to Merced, California Mayor Stan Thurston warning that the use of an at-large election system for the election of candidates to the Merced City Council is in violation of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA).
The Val Verde Unified School District (Val Verde USD) Board of Education voted unanimously last night to move from an at-large to a district-based election system for Board of Education elections.
In the first case of its kind filed in the State, MALDEF today filed a lawsuit, Louise Martinez v State of New Mexico, seeking to establish education as a fundamental right and to ensure that New Mexico's at-risk children are provided a sufficient education as required under the New Mexico Constitution.
Today, MALDEF filed suit, in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois, against Illinois nut processing company, John B Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (aka Fisher Nuts), for violating the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and unlawfully terminating a Latino employee two days after he was diagnosed with cancer.
Crisfield, Maryland Patrolman Lawrence Daisey this week answered a lawsuit filed against him for unlawfully arresting and detaining a 12-year-old who accidentally broke a laundromat window in Somerset County in December 2010.
MALDEF has secured victory in Flores v. City of Westminster, a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California in which attorneys successfully asserted the rights of three accomplished Latino police officers who were consistently denied coveted promotions and special assignments in retaliation for their complaints of discrimination.
Today, in a 47-52 vote, the U.S. Senate refused to end a filibuster, and thus failed to confirm respected civil rights attorney, Debo Adegbile, as Assistant Attorney General to lead the civil rights division of the U.S Department of Justice.
MALDEF, counsel in challenges to nearly identical local anti-immigrant housing ordinances in Nebraska and Texas, welcomed today's U.S. Supreme Court decision refusing to review a decision by the full Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that the Farmers Branch, Texas tenant-licensing ordinance is an unconstitutional intrusion on the exclusive federal authority to regulate immigration.
MALDEF mourns the loss of Dr. Henry J. Casso at age 82. Dr. Casso, a renowned civil rights advocate and MALDEF founding Board Member, dedicated himself to eradicating poverty and improving the lives of Latinos across the nation.
On Thursday, February 20, 2014, MALDEF will host its 2014 Latino State of the Union at the Time Warner Cable headquarters in New York.
Today at 2 pm CST, MALDEF will present closing argument before the Travis County District Court in Austin, showing that the Texas public school finance system remains inequitable and inadequate.
MALDEF mourns the loss of Dallas civil rights leader and one of its former Board members, Adelfa Botello Callejo. Callejo was an attorney, civic leader and one of the most-respected Hispanic activists in the country.
On Tuesday, January 28, 2014, in a suit against the city of Westminster, California, MALDEF will commence trial, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California before the Honorable David O. Carter, to defend the rights of three accomplished Latino police officers who were consistently denied coveted promotions and special assignments because of their national origin.
On Tuesday, January 21, 2014, MALDEF will return to court to demonstrate that the Texas public school finance system remains inequitable and inadequate.
Today, former Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), ranking Judiciary Committee member John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., and a bipartisan contingent of lawmakers introduced HR 3899, the Voting Rights Amendment Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, D-VT has filed identical legislation in the Senate.
MALDEF mourns the loss of Carmen Zapata, an accomplished character actress on TV, film and the stage, MALDEF honoree, and a leading force in showcasing Latino culture in Los Angeles.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), together with the Ortega Law Firm and Haralson, Miller, Pitt, Feldman & McAnally, PLC, today filed a motion in Maricopa County Superior Court seeking permission to intervene and defend Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) students at the center of a dispute between the State of Arizona and the Maricopa County Community College District Governing Board ("MCCCD").
Last night, the town of Pasadena, Texas narrowly passed a measure known as Proposition 1 that would reduce its eight single-member voting districts to six, and create two at-large seats.
Last November, the Latino community and its allies exercised a substantial and oft-remarked impact on the presidential election, resulting in renewed federal interest in addressing the policy priorities of the Latino community.
Today, MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, released the following statement in response to California Governor Jerry Brown's signing of the TRUST Act.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) today mourns the loss of Chicano icon, Jose Ernesto Montoya, beloved father of MALDEF Vice President Gina Montoya, MALDEF National Board Member, Carlos Montoya and actor/writer Culture Clash co-founder Richard Montoya.
Today, MALDEF filed suit, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, against Pomona College for race and gender discrimination. MALDEF represents Alma Martinez, a former Pomona professor denied tenure despite a proven track record of successfully meeting her duties through six years of employment with the college and a unanimous departmental recommendation that she be promoted to a fully tenured position.
Today, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois held a hearing in McFadden v. Board of Education for Illinois School District U-46, to discuss the remedy phase after ruling in favor of the Plaintiffs in their discrimination lawsuit.
Today, MALDEF's Midwest Regional Office in Chicago filed a motion for preliminary injunction in a U.S. District Court in Nebraska. MALDEF asked the court to stop the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) from enforcing the policy and practice of denying driver’s licenses to immigrant youth whom the federal government has authorized to remain in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ("DACA") program.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a lower court’s decision to block key components of SB 20, South Carolina’s Arizona-style anti-immigrant law.
In a 9-5 ruling issued Monday, the full United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit struck down an anti-immigrant, discriminatory ordinance in Farmers Branch, Texas that would have prohibited landlords from renting to immigrants that the city deemed unlawfully present and authorized arrest and prosecution of landlords and tenants found in violation of the law.
Today, a panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ruling in Keller v. City of Fremont, a case challenging the constitutionality of an ordinance that seeks to prohibit the rental of housing by private landlords to "illegal aliens" and "unauthorized aliens."
Today, MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings striking down DOMA and preventing enforcement of California’s Proposition 8...
Today, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The Court struck down as unconstitutional a portion of the law used to identify states and localities that must follow special procedures before implementing changes in their voting systems.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Fisher v. Texas, affirming public universities' right to consider the race of an applicant for admission as part of a holistic review of the applicant’s file, but held that the University of Texas at Austin’s undergraduate admissions plan requires further review in the lower courts to determine if it complies with the Court’s restrictions on such policies.
Today, in a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Arizona voters who challenged that state’s restrictions on voter registration, concluding that Arizona’s Proposition 200 must yield to the National Voter Registration Act. MALDEF (the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) filed the original lawsuit on behalf of voters in the case decided today as Arizona v. ITCA.
Today, in a 4-2 decision, the Colorado Supreme Court reversed a Denver District Court’s opinion in Lobato/Ortega v. Colorado that Colorado’s public school finance system is "irrational, arbitrary, and severely underfunded." The Supreme Court held that the state’s arbitrary school finance system complies with the Colorado constitution, concluding that the system is "thorough and uniform" across the state and provides for local control over instruction in schools.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio relied on racial profiling and illegal detentions to target Latinos, a federal district court said today. The ruling comes following a three-week trial in July and August 2012 over a pattern of unlawful practices by Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) on immigration sweeps and traffic stops.
MALDEF has secured victory in a lawsuit filed in federal district court, challenging League City’s local policy and practices targeting day laborers and their First Amendment right to seek employment in public areas, as well as a state statute that prohibited solicitation of employment. MALDEF filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Jornaleros de las Palmas, an association of day laborers whose members have been restricted from peaceably expressing their need and availability for employment in the City’s public areas due to the policy and the state law.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund , the nation’s leading Latino civil rights legal organization, and PolicyLink, a national research and action institute, have released a public safety policy agenda in response to an alarming finding in a recent survey of urban Latinos. The research revealed that at least 40 percent of urban Latinos are less likely to provide information to police because they fear exposing themselves, family or friends to a risk of deportation.
MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, joined representatives from other immigrant rights groups in a telebriefing for the press earlier this week to urge President Obama to immediately suspend deportations of those potentially eligible for legalization while Congress deliberates on immigration reform. More than 410,000 were deported last year, the most ever.
MALDEF filed for intervention yesterday in Crane v. Napolitano, a federal lawsuit in which ten Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are seeking to block the implementation of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
MALDEF today joined forces with Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho to file suit against ABC Unified School District (ABC USD) for violating the California Voting Rights Act of 2001.
MALDEF is proud to collaborate with Honor 41, a national non-profit LGBTQ organization that recognizes outstanding Latina/o leaders in the LGBTQ community.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) is confident following today’s oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court in Arizona v. Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (Arizona v. ITCA).
A twenty-year old, and highly successful, federal voter registration law known as "Motor Voter" is at issue in a legal battle that MALDEF has been leading and winning for nearly seven years. The challenge to Arizona's Proposition 200, enacted in 2004, has made its way to the United States Supreme Court.
MALDEF mourns the loss of Mexican American leader and pioneer Raymond L. Telles. Telles was the first Mexican American mayor of a major city and is credited with opening the path to high political offices for other Latinos nationwide by running the city of El Paso successfully during his two terms.
Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the provisions of SB 1070, Arizona’s anti-immigrant racial profiling law, that seek to criminalize the solicitation of day labor work, should remain blocked.
In many ways, Carmen M. Leija reflects the very corazón of MALDEF – quite appropriate given the fact that she joined the organization on Valentine’s Day in 1983.
National independent public transmedia company KCETLink, and MALDEF, the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization, have announced a partnership to curate and produce programming that spotlights key social justice issues and cultural narratives of the U.S. Latino experience to a national audience on KCET and Link TV.
Today, MALDEF, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) and NCLR (National Council of La Raza), joined a global boycott of Hyatt hotels in response to widespread evidence of harmful working conditions for hotel housekeepers, who are predominantly women of color, including Latinas.
Yesterday Judge David C. Bury ruled in favor of Latino plaintiffs in the longstanding desegregation lawsuit against the Tucson Unified School District ("TUSD"), filed by MALDEF in 1974 in federal district court in Tucson, Arizona.
After more than three months of testimony, Travis County District Court Judge John K. Dietz announced his ruling from the bench, holding that the Texas public school finance system is arbitrary, inequitable and inadequate under the Texas Constitution and that low-wealth school districts lack local control over their tax rates.
President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, Issues Statement in response to President Obama’s speech on immigration today:
MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, issued the following statement today in response to today’s announcement of a bipartisan framework for immigration reform:
MALDEF filed a brief at the U.S. Supreme Court today in Arizona v. ITCA, the longstanding challenge to Proposition 200, Arizona’s 2004 law imposing burdensome documentation requirements on new voter registrants.
Nina Perales, MALDEF Vice President of Litigation, testified today before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing titled, "The State of the Right to Vote After the 2012 Election." Ms. Perales joined Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, former Governor of Florida Charlie Crist, Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz, and South Carolina State Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter.
On Tuesday, MALDEF settled its lawsuit against Sheriff Lee Baca and the County of Los Angeles challenging the Sheriff’s attempt to withhold unredacted records regarding the 1970 killing of prominent journalist, Rubén Salazar. MALDEF represents Phillip Rodriguez, a noted documentary filmmaker, who requested the documents as part of his research for the documentary film that tells the story of the life and mysterious death of the prominent civil rights era journalist.
A coalition of civil rights organizations today filed a class-action lawsuit challenging Arizona’s unconstitutional policy denying driver’s licenses to a specific class of immigrant youth even though they have grown up in the United States and are authorized to live and work here.
A federal court today blocked key provisions of South Carolina's anti-immigrant law and recognized that harms could take place if police officers check people's immigration status, inviting additional challenges of civil rights abuses.
On November 9, 2012, MALDEF joined in filing a draft plan with the federal District Court in Fisher, et al., Mendoza, et al. v. Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), that is a blueprint for improving educational outcomes for Latino students and is intended to resolve a longstanding desegregation lawsuit against the District.
In key states, Latino voters are confronted with illegal voting barriers that threaten their ability to cast ballots on Election Day.
Over the last three weeks, MALDEF has released state-by-state endorsements on ballot measures to subscribers from each state. Below, we release nationally all of the positions MALDEF has taken for the upcoming November 6 election.
Este noviembre enfrentamos una elección crítica en la que los niveles altos de participación por todas partes pueden mandar un mensaje poderoso sobre la importancia de la comunidad Latina y su opinión política.
This November, we face a critical election, in which high levels of participation by Latino voters and their allies everywhere can send a powerful message about the importance of the Latino community and its policy views.
This November, we face a critical election, in which high levels of participation by Latino voters and their allies everywhere can send a powerful message about the importance of the Latino community and its policy views.
This November, we face a critical election, in which high levels of participation by Latino voters and their allies everywhere can send a powerful message about the importance of the Latino community and its policy views.
While the referendum developed long ago as a "progressive" reform, it is too often used by those who oppose progressive legal change to challenge positive measures adopted by the legislature.
While generally categorized as a progressive reform procedure, too often the referendum is used by those who oppose progressive legal change to challenge positive measures adopted by a legislature.
MALDEF Seeking Equal Funding for All Texas Students, Including Low Income and English Language Learner Children
While generally categorized as a progressive reform procedure, too often the referendum is used by those who oppose progressive legal change to challenge positive measures adopted by a legislature.
This November, we face a critical election, in which high levels of participation by Latino voters everywhere can send a powerful message about the importance of the Latino community and its policy views.
Today, MALDEF and the New Mexico law firm of Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Ives & Duncan (Freedman Boyd) secured a permanent injunction against New Mexico's "Foreign National Residency Certification Program."
On Saturday, September 29, 2012, the Parent Organization Network (PON) will host its first Bridging the Parent-School Gap 2012 – 2013, Learning Series event at East Los Angeles Community College.
In California, many of us remember the infamous anti-immigrant Proposition 187, enacted in 1994, that would have affected the lives of every resident by imposing draconian requirements on all public servants to deny services and report all "reasonably suspected" undocumented immigrants to immigration authorities.
The annual CSRC Latina/o Education Summit addresses topics not typically covered in academic discourse on the education of U.S. Latinos.
Maldef Commemorates the Powerful Legacy of Latino Patriotism
MALDEF is proud to support the release of "America, Our Home," a new collection of American patriotic songs recorded in Mexican musical styles by the group Ronstadt Generations to express the ongoing pride of the Latino community in the United States.
A federal district court today blocked a provision in Arizona's anti-immigrant law that aimed to criminalize friends and family members who engage in everyday activities with undocumented immigrants, but failed to block section 2B of SB 1070, which forces police officers to demand "papers" of those they believe are in the country unlawfully.
Today, a federal court in Washington DC issued a ruling in Texas v. Holder denying preclearance under the Voting Rights Act for Texas' proposed voter ID law.
Earlier today, a three-judge federal panel issued a ruling in Texas v. United States denying preclearance under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act for three Texas statewide redistricting plans.
The documentary "Inocente" is an extraordinary film, raising at once issues of arts education, homelessness, family violence, and immigration reform through its focus on a young woman with an amazingly compelling story.
Today, MALDEF won a court order instructing Arizona to stop requiring additional paperwork from citizens who submit a federal voter registration form to register to vote.
Today, MALDEF is saddened at the passing yesterday of pioneering Mexican American actress, Lupe Ontiveros. Originally from El Paso, Texas, Ontiveros starred in several iconic Latino roles throughout her decades-long career.
In the first case of its kind pending before the California Supreme Court, MALDEF, the Dream Bar Association, and a coalition of civil rights and legal groups have submitted an amicus brief in the matter of In re Sergio C. Garcia on Admission to support undocumented law school graduate Sergio C. Garcia’s application to join the California Bar.
Damaging Provision of SB 1070 Could Take Effect in a Few Days Without Court Action
Workers at California Capital Grille restaurants were deprived of wages and rest breaks according to a complaint filed today by MALDEF against Darden Restaurants, owner of Capital Grille, Red Lobster, and Olive Garden.
Representing a coalition of community partners, MALDEF intervened in a federal lawsuit between Texas and the United States over Texas's passage of a discriminatory voter identification law that would keep minorities and others from exercising their right to vote.
MALDEF is proud to support the release of "America, Our Home," a new collection of American patriotic songs recorded in Mexican musical styles by the group Ronstadt Generations to express the ongoing pride of the Latino community in the United States.
Today, the United States Supreme Court issued an order rejecting the State of Arizona's attempt to avoid a Ninth Circuit ruling that the state must accept the federal voter registration form in advance of the coming 2012 elections.
The coalition representing the plaintiffs in the ongoing civil rights legal challenge to SB 1070, Friendly House v. Whiting, sent a letter to counsel for all defendants, including Governor Brewer, explaining that SB1070 's racial profiling provision, Section 2 (B), cannot be implemented unless a federal court dissolves the injunction.
Many of the proponents of Arizona's notorious SB 1070, including Governor Jan Brewer, have attempted to spin today's 5-3 Supreme Court decision striking down three provisions and leaving a fourth with high obstacles in front of implementation, as a victory for the purveyors of such legislation.
Today the Supreme Court affirmed an injunction against three of the four core SB 1070 provisions (Sections 3, 5(C), and 6) before the Court, and narrowly limited the possible implementation of the notorious reasonable suspicion/racial profiling provision (Section 2(B)).
Today, MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, released the following statement in response to President Obama’s decision to provide relief to undocumented youth who have lived in the United States for most of their lives.
Today, a Tucson federal court barred the State of Arizona from intervening in an ongoing school desegregation case involving discrimination against Latino students by the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD).
Seeks Unpaid Wages and Restitution for "Carwasheros" Forced to Work without Breaks and "Off the Clock"
Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of MALDEF, issued the following statement in response to yesterday’s announcement by President Barack Obama of his personal support for marriage equality:
Today, MALDEF lauded a decision by Senior U.S District Judge, Frank Zapata, denying Arizona vigilante Roger Barnett’s latest attempt to avoid paying punitive damages to a group of immigrants he attacked in 2004.
Today, MALDEF filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Burger King Corporation for violating Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) by discriminating against a former district manager who was terminated after Burger King learned of his HIV status.
Today MALDEF filed a petition for writ of mandate to compel Sheriff Lee Baca to release public records relating to the death of Ruben Salazar.
Today, MALDEF welcomed the Ninth Circuit's en banc ruling in Gonzalez v. State of Arizona, striking down critical provisions of an Arizona law that restricted voter access.
Today, MALDEF filed suit against one of the largest Central Valley grape growers, Castlerock Farming and Transport, Inc., and many of its farm labor contractors, for systematically mistreating Latino workers.
Today, MALDEF filed a lawsuit against the famed Robertson Boulevard restaurant, The Ivy, for violating the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and discriminating against a former employee. The suit was filed in California Superior Court in Los Angeles County.
Today, MALDEF filed legal papers opposing an attempt by the State of Texas to secure federal approval for its new Voter ID law. The intervention was filed on behalf of two Latino voters and two organizations that conduct voter registration and turnout campaigns in the Latino community: Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and Mi Familia Vota Education Fund.
Today, MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, issued the following statement in response to the passing of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s President and Director Counsel, John A. Payton
MALDEF announced yesterday that it has sent – on behalf of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) – the first wave of demand letters to a dozen municipalities across California threatening legal action if they fail to repeal laws limiting the right to solicit employment, business or contributions in public areas.
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled the City of Farmers Branch, located outside of Dallas, TX, violated the Constitution by passing a housing ordinance aimed at driving out Latinos.
Capping an extensive legal battle, a Texas federal court has issued redistricting plans for both congressional and state house districts for use in 2012 that better reflect the state’s increasingly large Latino electorate.
The States of Florida and Arizona have filed challenges to the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Section 5 of the VRA, described by the Supreme Court as "remed(ying) aimed at areas where voting discrimination has been most flagrant," helps protect the right to vote in places where, historically, this right has been most threatened.
The Chicago City Council approved a redistricting map on January 19, 2012 that did not meet the standards of MALDEF's proposed Equity Map, which called for 14 majority Latino wards, 18 African American wards, and keeping the communities of Chinatown and Back of the Yards together, while maintaining the legal population requirements based on 2010 Census numbers.
On Wednesday, March 14, 2011, MALDEF, the nation's leading legal civil rights organization, hosted the "2012 Latino State of the State: Discussion on Law, Policy, and Civil Rights in California." The event served as a convening of leaders and experts addressing issues and policies affecting California’s Latino community.
Yesterday, MALDEF, on behalf of the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force, filed a brief at the request of the federal court in Washington, D.C. that is evaluating the Texas redistricting plans for compliance with the Voting Rights Act.
Today, a coalition of Texas business, faith based, and advocacy organizations known as Texas Residents United for a Stronger Texas (TRUST), launched a new website (www.CommonSenseImmigrationTx.org), in partnership with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, to serve as a resource for advocates, community members, and policy makers seeking critical immigration information and resources.
Today, Latino leaders throughout Texas responded to new court-ordered interim maps for Texas state House and congressional seats that increase the number of districts in which Latino voters can elect their preferred candidates.
In response to the three-judge federal panel’s order adopting an interim redistricting plan for 2012 state House elections in Texas, Nina Perales, MALDEF Vice President of Litigation and lead counsel for the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force in Perez v. Perry, provided the following statement...
Today, government officials gathered alongside civil right leaders at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (LA Plaza) to unveil a permanent monument to acknowledge California’s role in the forced removal of 2 million Mexican Americans between 1929 and 1944.
Moments ago, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling in Perez v. Perry that affirms the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act's preclearance provisions and instructs the district court on requirements for redrawing the Texas congressional, senate and house redistricting plans.
Today, MALDEF and the New Mexico law firm of Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Ives & Duncan (Freedman Boyd) filed suit in a Santa Fe District Court against the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (MVD).
Today, the United States Supreme Court heard oral argument in Perez v. Perry regarding the Texas congressional, senate and house redistricting plans. The case challenges redistricting plans that discriminate against Latino voters.
Calling for 14 majority Latino wards, 18 African-American wards, and keeping the communities of Chinatown and Back of the Yards together while maintaining the legal population requirements based on the 2010 Census numbers, is the foundation of the proposed Equity map filed today by MALDEF with the city of Chicago.
MALDEF has joined a pending case against Illinois School District U-46. The federal court case is continuing on to the third phase of trial in Delgado v. Board of Education for Illinois School District U-46. Filed in 2005, this case represents an important fight in MALDEF’s battle to achieve fair and equitable treatment for Latino students in our educational systems.
Today, MALDEF filed suit on behalf of La Union Benefica Mexicana, a Latino community and civic organization in Northern Indiana, against the State of Indiana to strike down two previously-unchallenged provisions of the State's anti-immigrant law known as Senate Bill 590 (SB 590).
Yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled against several residents of Irving, Texas who sought to compel the City of Irving to adopt voting maps for city council districts that ignored thousands of city residents.
Today, against the backdrop of the Dr. Jose A. Cardenas Early Childhood Center – located in the school district at the center of MALDEF’s first landmark school finance case, Edgewood v. Kirby, back in the 1980s – MALDEF announced the filing of a major education funding lawsuit against the State of Texas.
On Friday, a state district court in Denver, Colorado ruled in favor of plaintiffs in the State's first adequacy case, Lobato v. Colorado, a lawsuit in which MALDEF represented Colorado parents as plaintiff-intervenors seeking adequate funding for at-risk and English Language Learner ("ELL") students in the Colorado school finance system.
Today, MALDEF's tireless efforts in Texas federal courts have resulted in a court-proposed plan that promises increased Latino electoral opportunity throughout the state. A panel of federal judges in San Antonio has released a new redistricting plan that will improve representation for Texas Latinos, including the creation of an additional Latino opportunity district in South Texas.
Today, a federal three-judge panel in San Antonio, Texas released new redistricting plans for the Texas Housee of Representatives. The plan released by a majority of judges contains additional Latino opportunity districts.
Today, the federal district court in Washington, D.C. issued an order denying a request by Texas for expedited approval of the State's congressional, Texas House and Texas Senate redistricting plans.
MALDEF mourns the recent passing of Professor Harry Pachon, the longtime leader of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI). Dr. Pachon had a lengthy and groundbreaking career as a leader in the effort to advance the rights of Latinos and other minorities in the United States.
Nationally esteemed professional educator, unsurpassed bilingual education expert and indomitable civil rights advocate Dr. José Ángel Cárdenas has passed away.
Today, in a precedent-setting 9-2 decision in favor of day laborers, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's decision in Comité de Jornaleros de Redondo Beach v. City of Redondo Beach, striking down the City of Redondo Beach's anti-solicitation ordinance as a "facially unconstitutional restriction on speech."
MALDEF has secured a preliminary injunction against the New Mexico Secretary of Tax and Revenue's so-called "Residency Certification Program" on the grounds that the Secretary has likely violated the right to equal protection under the New Mexico Constitution.
This week, Judge Singleton of the First Judicial District in Santa Fe ordered the New Mexico Secretary of Tax and Revenue to put a stop to the so-called "Residency Certification Program."
Today, MALDEF and the New Mexico law firm of Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Ives & Duncan (Freedman Boyd) filed suit against the Secretary of the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, on behalf of a group of New Mexico legislators and residents of New Mexico, in order to stop the implementation and execution of Governor Martinez's so-called "Residency Certification Program."
Yesterday, in Washington DC, MALDEF filed a Motion to Intervene on behalf of the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force in an effort to prevent the reduction of Latino voting strength in the ongoing Texas redistricting process.
Yesterday, at its 2011 annual meeting, the American Bar Association House of Delegates approved, by unanimous voice vote, a resolution, sponsored by the ABA Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities, to oppose any efforts to alter or amend the longstanding interpretation and application of the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced changes to the Secure Communities program, unilaterally abrogating all agreements with states, and indicating that the program will be imposed in all states, regardless of any state officials' desire to opt out of the program.
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