CHICAGO, IL– The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and Miner, Barnhill & Galland announced that yesterday a federal district court judge in Chicago reminded the City of Waukegan, Mayor Richard Hyde and Police Chief William Biang that the First Amendment is alive and well. According to MALDEF Regional Counsel Ricardo Meza “a United States District Court Judge held that the City of Waukegan violated the constitutional rights of two of the plaintiffs and sufficient evidence exists for the claims of the remaining plaintiffs to go to trial.”
Access to Justice
Arizona Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of Vigilante Rancher Who Attacked U.S. Citizens On Arizona Border
PHOENIX, AZ – Today, the Arizona Supreme Court rejected the appeal of border vigilante Roger Barnett who was found liable by a jury after assaulting a family of Latino U.S. citizens while they were hunting on state land in southern Arizona. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), which represents the plaintiffs in the case, urged the Supreme Court to reject Barnett’s appeal and argued that the jury had rightfully found Barnett at fault for his vicious attack upon the family.
Sheriff Arpaio Sued Over Racial Profiling of Latinos In Maricopa County
PHOENIX, AZ – Today, five individuals and Somos America, a Latino community-based coalition, sued Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office (MCSO) and Maricopa County, charging that they or their members were unlawfully stopped and mistreated by law enforcement because they are Latino. The class action lawsuit – which builds upon a complaint filed last December – is before the U.S. District Court in Arizona.
May Day Plaintiffs And Attorneys Call For Action At One-Year Anniversary Of Police Assaults
Appellate Court Affirms Jury Verdict Against Vigilante Rancher Who Attacked U.S. Citizens On Arizona Border
TUCSON, AZ – This week, the Arizona Court of Appeals denied the appeal of border vigilante Roger Barnett who was found liable by a jury after assaulting a family of Latino U.S. citizens while they were hunting on state land in southern Arizona. MALDEF, which represents the plaintiffs in the appeal, urged the appellate court to reject Barnett’s request for a new trial and argued that the jury had rightfully found Barnett at fault for his vicious attack upon the family. The appellate court rejected Barnett’s claims that his acts were justified and affirmed the trial judge’s conclusion that Barnett had received a fair trial.
MALDEF Attorneys Fees Delayed; Caught Up In Politics
MALDEF Files Civil Lawsuit On Behalf Of Migrants Detained And Assaulted By Border Vigilantes
TUCSON, AZ – MALDEF today filed a civil suit in federal court in Tucson, Arizona on behalf of a group of migrants who allege they were violently assaulted, battered, detained, and threatened with death by members of vigilante groups operating along the Arizona-Mexico border. The lawsuit charges Roger Barnett, his wife Barbara Barnett, his brother Donald Barnett, Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, and unknown co-conspirators with conspiring to violate the travelers’ civil rights.