VICTORVILLE, CA – 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”). Victor Valley UHSD currently elects trustees using an at-large method, which has denied Latino residents the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice to the Board of Trustees. MALDEF demands that the District convert to a by-district election system.
News Releases
MALDEF DEMANDS CITY OF MONROVIA CHANGE ITS AT-LARGE ELECTION SYSTEM
MONROVIA, CA – 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). The City currently elects council members using an at-large method, which has denied Latino residents the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice to the City Council. MALDEF demands that the City convert to a by-district election system.
MALDEF DEMANDS CITY OF CHINO HILLS CHANGE ITS AT-LARGE ELECTION SYSTEM
CHINO HILLS, CA – 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). The City currently elects council members using an at-large method, which has denied Latino residents the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice to the City Council. MALDEF demands that the City convert to a by-district election system.
MALDEF DEMANDS CITY OF LA MIRADA CHANGE ITS AT-LARGE ELECTION SYSTEM
LA MIRADA, CA – 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). The City currently elects council members using an at-large method, which has denied Latino residents the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice to the City Council. MALDEF demands that the City convert to a by-district election system.
MALDEF LAWSUIT COMPELS TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNOR BRUCE RAUNER’S APPOINTMENTS TO STATE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
CHICAGO, IL – 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. As of April, the governor had failed to publish his first report, even though he was required to do so six months earlier. Three months after the suit was filed, the governor has complied with the Act’s requirements.
MALDEF SUIT STOPS EXCLUSION OF MEXICAN AMERICANS FROM “WHITES ONLY” CEMETERY
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – 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.
MALDEF DEMANDS CITY OF REDLANDS CHANGE ITS AT-LARGE ELECTION SYSTEM
REDLANDS, CA – 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). The City currently elects council members using an at-large method, which has denied Latino residents the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice to the City Council. MALDEF demands that the City convert to a by-district election system.
MALDEF/ LATINOJUSTICE PRLDEF STATEMENTS ON U.S. SUPREME COURT AFFIRMATION OF RACE-CONSCIOUS ADMISSIONS PROGRAMS
WASHINGTON, DC – 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. Late last year, MALDEF and LatinoJustice PRLDEF filed an amicus brief on behalf of over 20 national Latino advocacy groups supporting the race-conscious admissions program. Statements from MALDEF and LatinoJustice PRLDEF in reaction to today’s decision are below.
MALDEF DENOUNCES SUPREME COURT FAILURE TO ACT ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S EXECUTIVE ACTIONS ON IMMIGRATION
WASHINGTON, DC – 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. As a result, the Jane Does, three undocumented Texas mothers who entered the case to defend the initiatives, will be unable to apply for temporary protection from removal. The Jane Does are represented by MALDEF, which argued in the appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court in April.
MALDEF LAWSUIT AGAINST MICHIGAN COMPANIES FOR IMMIGRANT LABOR VIOLATIONS CONTINUES AS PLAINTIFF GRANTED CLASS CERTIFICATION
DETROIT, MI – 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’s lawsuit alleges that the companies recruited and enticed computer programmers to travel from Mexico to the United States for nonexistent jobs, and systematically defrauded the federal government to obtain visas for those individuals by representing that the companies would be employing the programmers once they arrived in the United States.
MALDEF MOURNS VICTIMS OF HATE-DRIVEN ACT OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM IN ORLANDO
MALDEF CALLS ON TEXAS LAWMAKERS TO BRING THE STATE’S SCHOOL FUNDING SYSTEM INTO 21ST CENTURY
NATIONAL LATINO LEADERS DENOUNCE DONALD TRUMP’S ATTACKS ON JUDGE CURIEL
WASHINGTON, D.C. – 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. On the call were NCLR (National Council of La Raza) President and CEO, Janet Murguía; Hispanic National Bar Association National President Robert T. Maldonado; Voto Latino President and CEO María Teresa Kumar; Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) President and General Counsel Thomas Saenz; National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) Chair Hector Sanchez; and Latino Victory Project Interim Director César Blanco.
JUDGE HANEN AGREES TO STAY HIS ORDER TO TURN OVER PERSONAL INFORMATION ON 50,000 IMMIGRANT YOUTH
BROWNSVILLE, TX – 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. In addition, yesterday MALDEF filed papers in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans seeking to block the order of Judge Andrew Hanen requiring the United States to turn over to him the names, addresses and other personal information of approximately 50,000 immigrant youth who received three–year grants of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) between November 2014 and February 2015.