ABA Urges Supreme Court to Overturn Ariz. Law Requiring Immigration Checks of Some Arrestees

The ABA has filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn part of a controversial Arizona law that requires immigration status checks for some people who are stopped or arrested. The ABA brief urges the court to rule that four enjoined provisions are pre-empted by federal immigration…

Apr 2, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Immigration’s Next Chapter: Arizona to Tell Its Tale of How to Stop Illegal Immigrants

Apr 1, 2012 8:40 AM CDT

Immigration Courts in 7 Cities to Suspend Dockets as Government Mulls Dropping More Cases

Since the executive branch announced a new policy last year under which only so-called priority offenders against immigration law would be pursued for deportation, practitioners say there has been more prosecutorial discretion shown on a case-by-case basis. But the number of suspended cases could now escalate as the feds close…

Mar 30, 2012 9:28 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rejects Louisiana Bid to File Original Complaint Challenging Census Count

The state of Louisiana’s bid to file a lawsuit over the counting of illegal immigrants in the 2010 Census has been turned aside by the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, the justices rejected the state’s request to file an original complaint in the case, according to SCOTUSblog and the Associated Press.…

Mar 19, 2012 3:20 PM CDT

Rutgers Spycam Defendant Could Be Deported; Jurors Seek Clarification on More Serious Charge

The Rutgers University student accused of webcam spying on his roommate’s same-sex romantic encounter could be deported if he is convicted. Jurors in New Brunswick, N.J., will begin a second day of deliberations today in the case against Dharun Ravi, who is accused of invasion of privacy and bias intimidation.…

Mar 15, 2012 12:54 PM CDT

Undocumented Law Grad Can’t Get Driver’s License, But Hopes for Fla. Supreme Court OK of Law License

José Godínez-Samperio can’t get a Florida driver’s license because he is an undocumented immigrant, brought to this country by his parents from Mexico when he was a child. But he hopes to get a Florida law license, having progressed from a non-English-speaking fourth grader to the valedictorian of his high…

Mar 8, 2012 9:04 PM CST

CUNY Law Grad Reveals Undocumented Status, Fears He Can’t Practice Despite Passing NY Bar

A 28-year-old Mexican immigrant who graduated from law school at the City University of New York and passed the state bar exam in November fears he will not be able to practice law in New York because he was illegally brought to this country as a 5-year-old child by his…

Mar 7, 2012 2:33 PM CST

Hot Zone: Immigration Law Raises a Unique Mix of Ethics Issues for Lawyers

Mar 1, 2012 9:00 AM CST

Restaurateurs Who Pleaded Guilty in Tax Case Can Be Deported, Supreme Court Rules

A Japanese couple who ran a restaurant in California can be deported because of guilty pleas in a tax case involving underreported corporate income, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. Akio Kawashima and his wife, Fusako Kawashima, were ordered deported after Akio pleaded guilty to making a false tax return…

Feb 21, 2012 4:52 PM CST

ACLU Suit Seeks Lawyers and Competency Hearing for Mentally Ill Immigrants

Unrepresented by an attorney during an immigration court hearing, Ever Martinez Rivas, 32, turned out to have another formidable advocate in the San Diego, Calif., courtroom: His mom. After Maria Elena Felipe finally interrupted the hearing and gave the judge his medical records, which showed he had been in and…

Feb 7, 2012 1:44 PM CST

Resolution Supports Equal Access to Therapeutic Courts for Noncitizens

Therapeutic courts such as drug and domestic violence courts are effectively off limits to noncitizens, partly because the programs often require a conditional guilty plea that could result in deportation. A resolution addressing the issue was approved on Monday by the ABA House of Delegates. The resolution states that the…

Feb 6, 2012 4:57 PM CST

Leaning in to Help: Program Helps Nonprofits Better Serve Immigrant Children

Feb 1, 2012 8:30 AM CST

RV Operated by Nonprofit Offers Mobile Legal Advice, Remote Court Access

A 40-foot RV is bringing justice to low-income individuals in New York. The van is New York’s first legal services office on wheels, according to a press release (PDF). Lawyers from the New York Legal Assistance Group will be visiting at least seven sites each week in the RV to…

Jan 11, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Mass. Top Court Rules Legal Immigrants Improperly Barred from Subsidized Insurance Program

The highest court in Massachusetts has ruled that a law barring legal immigrants from a subsidized insurance program violated their rights to equal protection under the state constitution. The opinion by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court could cost the state up to $150 million, report the Boston Globe, the Associated…

Jan 6, 2012 4:43 PM CST

Federal Judge Blocks Part of New SC Immigration Law, Says It Infringes on Feds’ Role

A federal judge in South Carolina has temporarily blocked provisions of a new state immigration statute that were to go into effect Jan. 1, finding the state was infringing on the federal government’s prerogative to enforce immigration law. Among the new rules nixed by U.S. District Judge Richard Mark Gergel…

Dec 22, 2011 7:43 PM CST