We all know how utterly messed up Arizona's SB 1070 is so it's great to see groups like the APALC getting on down and standing up against it.
PHOENIX, AZ - On Thursday, July 22 at 10 a.m. PST, Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) and a coalition of civil rights organizations will argue in a federal court in Phoenix that Arizona’s racial profiling law, known as SB 1070, should be blocked while their lawsuit against the unconstitutional measure is being litigated. Immediately after the hearing, the coalition will be available for questions from the press. The U.S. Department of Justice will also ask the court to block SB 1070 in a hearing at 1:30 p.m. PST on the same day.
The civil rights coalition filed its lawsuit challenging the extreme law on May 17, charging that it interferes with federal law, invites racial profiling, and violates various constitutional guarantees including the First Amendment, equal protection, and the right to travel.
The coalition includes the APALC, a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), ACLU, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), ACLU of Arizona, National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The law firms of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP and Altshuler Berzon LLP are acting as co-counsel in the case.
WHAT: Court hearing on Friendly House, et al. v. Whiting, et. al and press availability with lawyers from the civil rights coalition. Clients represented by the coalition will also be available for interviews.
WHO: Julie Su, Litigation Director, APALC
Nina Perales, Southwestern Regional Counsel, MALDEF and Omar Jadwat, Staff Attorney, ACLU will present argument at the hearing.
Karen Tumlin, Managing Attorney, NILC
Lucas Guttentag, director, ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project
Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel, MALDEF
Co-counsel from ACLU of Arizona, NDLON, and Munger Tolles; and plaintiffs from Friendly House, et al. v. Whiting, et al. will be available for press questions outside the courtroom. .
WHEN: Hearing at July 22 at 10 a.m. PST
Press availability to follow immediately after hearing
WHERE: Courtroom 200 (Special Procedures Courtroom)
Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse
401 W. Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona
Founded in 1983, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for civil rights, providing legal services and education, and building coalitions to positively influence and impact Asian Pacific Americans and to create a more equitable and harmonious society. APALC is a member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, which also includes Asian American Institute (Chicago, IL), Asian American Justice Center (Washington, DC) and Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco, CA).
