(Los Angeles, CA) – 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.
News Releases
MALDEF STATEMENT ON CITY OF LODI’S MOVE TOWARDS DISTRICT-BASED ELECTION SYSTEM
(Los Angeles, CA) – 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.
MALDEF TO PRESENT ORAL ARGUMENT ON BEHALF OF LAWFULLY PRESENT IMMIGRANT DEPORTED TO MEXICO
MALDEF TO REPRESENT DISENFRANCHISED KERN COUNTY LATINOS IN LANDMARK FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS TRIAL
TRIAL TO BEGIN IN LAWSUIT ALLEGING KERN COUNTY DENIES LATINO VOTING RIGHTS
MALDEF DENOUNCES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DECISION TO END TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR HAITIAN REFUGEES
(Los Angeles, CA) – 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 refugees displaced by a devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti:
MALDEF PLEDGES SUPPORT TO JURISDICTIONS THREATENED BY DOJ OVER IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT POLICIES
(Los Angeles, CA) – 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:
MALDEF HONORS THREE EXEMPLARY LEADERS FOR THEIR ROLES IN ADVANCING LATINO CAUSES
(Los Angeles, CA) – 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. The annual event brings together individuals, corporation and law firms dedicated to advancing Latino causes and civil rights in the United States.
MALDEF, ADVANCING JUSTICE SEEK TO INTERVENE IN FEDERAL LAWSUIT CHALLENGE TO THE CALIFORNIA VOTING RIGHTS ACT
MALDEF TO PRESENT ARGUMENT ON TEXAS SB 4 BEFORE THE FIFTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS
MALDEF TO HONOR LATINO LEADERS AT 2017 ANNUAL AWARDS GALA IN LOS ANGELES
STATEMENT ON APPOINTMENT OF MALDEF NATIONAL SENIOR COUNSEL TO LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT JUDGESHIP
LOS ANGELES – 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. Viramontes has been national senior counsel at MALDEF since 2010, and previously worked as a staff attorney from 2001 to 2005:
SB 4 FACT SHEET
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. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will hear oral argument on the preliminary injunction in the case on Nov. 7. Here is a list of significant dates, along with links to legal documents and statements:
MALDEF STATEMENT ON FEDERAL COURT BLOCK OF TRUMP ORDER BANNING TRANSGENDER PEOPLE FROM MILITARY SERVICE
(San Antonio, TX) 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):
MALDEF STATEMENT ON DETENTION OF 10-YEAR-OLD ROSA MARIA HERNANDEZ BY BORDER PATROL AGENTS
(Los Angeles, CA) 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. Rosa, a Mexican national, was detained by Border Patrol agents at the hospital where she was recovering and transferred to a San Antonio immigration detention facility for minors. She remains in custody and separated from her family.