Advocates for comprehensive immigration reform won a big victory on Thursday when the Senate, by an impressive 68-32 margin, voted to approve S. 744, a bipartisan bill that provides a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Importantly, the legislation strengthens legal protections for undocumented workers who come… Continue reading Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill Passes Senate
Month: June 2013
Supreme Court Strikes Down Defense of Marriage Act
In a landmark 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court today struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In U.S. v. Windsor the Court found that section 3 of DOMA, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman, was unconstitutional.
Immigrants Who Struggle to Learn English Shouldn’t Be Needlessly Punished
The Justice Bus Project and the Mobile Workers’ Rights Clinic Partner to Bring Free Legal Services to Low-Wage Workers and Recently Unemployed Persons in Contra Costa County
Marsha Chien Critiques Rubio’s English-Language Requirement Amendment in The Hill
In “The Hill”, LAS-ELC Skadden Fellow Marsha Chien argues that the amendments to the immigration reform bill introduced by Senators Rubio and Fischer – which would exclude many immigrants from a path to legalization based on their languge ability – are “exclusionary, unprecedented, and unnecessary.”
Transgender Police Officer Settles Claim Against Bay Area Police Department
Transgender Police Officer Settles Claim Against Bay Area Police Department
A settlement has been reached in a landmark discrimination case involving a transgender police officer in the Bay Area. The case was brought by the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center and the Transgender Law Centeron behalf of “Officer T.,” a 17-year veteran of the police department who was subjected to serious discrimination and harassment by other… Continue reading Transgender Police Officer Settles Claim Against Bay Area Police Department
Combat Wage Discrimination, Retaliation, and Unequal Pay
June 10th, 2013, marks the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, which requires employers to pay equal wages for equal work and expressly prohibits wage discrimination based on gender. But the wage gap persists, closing by less than half a cent each year. At this rate, it will take over 40 more years until… Continue reading Combat Wage Discrimination, Retaliation, and Unequal Pay
Chris Ho Honored by Chinese for Affirmative Action
Chris Ho, Director of LAS-ELC’s National Origin, Immigration, and Language Rights Program, was honored by Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) for his work on behalf of immigrant and language minority communities at its Celebration of Justice on Thursday, June 6th. The annual event honors key civic and community leaders engaged in the struggle for civil rights… Continue reading Chris Ho Honored by Chinese for Affirmative Action