MALDEF Appeals Court Ruling Upholding Arizona Proposition 200 Voter Restrictions
September 16, 2008
PHOENIX, AZ – Today, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) appealed to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals the ruling of a federal judge upholding the voting restrictions of Arizona Proposition 200, also known as the Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act. MALDEF had challenged the law as unconstitutional because it forced voters to meet onerous new identification requirements at the polls and imposed unnecessary paperwork requirements on those seeking to register to vote.
“Proposition 200 has forced the rejection of more than 30,000 voter registration applications across Arizona,” explained Nina Perales, MALDEF Southwest Regional Counsel and lead attorney in the case. “We expect the appeals court to overturn the trial court’s decision and halt Prop 200,” continued Perales.
“The right to vote protects all citizens’ rights. It is no surprise that citizen voter suppression exists in the state that is also one of the three most hostile to immigrants. This is unacceptable and we will protect our rights through the courts,” stated John Trasviña, MALDEF President and General Counsel.
MALDEF tried the case in July, 2008 on behalf of individual voters and voter registration applicants as well as the following organizations: Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, Valle del Sol, Friendly House, Chicanos Por La Causa, the Arizona Hispanic Community Forum, ACORN, Project Vote, and Common Cause. Danny Ortega, of the law firm of Roush, McCracken, Guerrero, Miller & Ortega is co-counsel with MALDEF in the case.
For all media inquiries, please contact Laura Rodriguez.
