Tag Archives: ACLU

  Jose Antonia Franco-Gonzalez spent nearly five years in detention, separated from his mother after his deportation case was closed. Severe mental impairment prevented him from defending himself. Lawyers.com videojournalist Matt H. Mayes introduces you to Franco-Gonalez, who cannot even speak a complete sentence. But in this landmark court case, a Los Angeles federal judge ruled the U.S. government must provide legal representation for mentally disabled immigrants who cannot afford lawyers and are facing deportation. Franco-Gonzalez’s lawyer, Ahilan Arulanantham, deputy …

Joining a handful of other states that limit employer access to social media accounts, New Mexico on Apr. 5 passed a law forbidding employers from demanding passwords from prospective employees.   Job Applicants Only Under the new law, employers are forbidden from requesting or requiring job applicants to provide access to their social media accounts. “Joining Maryland, Illinois, California, Michigan and Utah, New Mexico is now the sixth state to prohibit employers from mandating access to a job applicant’s password-protected …

A federal court on Mar. 28 struck down an Indiana law, inspired by Arizona’s infamous SB 1070, that reportedly allowed police to arrest immigrants without warrants. With that lawsuit, immigrant advocate groups have basically shut down state efforts to pass laws that give police unfettered power to bust suspected illegal immigrants.   Indiana Can’t Create an Immigration Crime The Indiana law, SB 590, was passed in 2011. Two of its provisions were especially disturbing to immigrant advocate groups including the …

The ACLU is challenging Michigan’s “right to work” law. The statute (which does not focus on guaranteeing employment) is about labor unions. It prohibits agreements between employers and labor union officials that require employees to join a union or pay membership dues. Some argue it simply allows workers to opt out of unions. Others believe it weakens unions, taking away bargaining power for better wages and working conditions, ultimately hurting working people. Follow our Lawyers.com coverage and take our poll …

The ACLU is trying to dismantle a “right to work” law passed in Michigan in December, saying people were locked out of the capitol while the measure was debated.    Locked Out, Voters Go to Courthouse The lock-out violates transparency laws and invalidates the controversial bill’s passage, according to a lawsuit filed in December by the ACLU on behalf of a journalist, unions, legislators and voters. When first filed, the lawsuit forced the Michigan Legislature to open its doors back …