Current Legal Events: The Fifth Circuit and the Immigration Debate

Last week, the 5th Circuit agreed to rehear Villas at Parkside Partners v. Farmers Branch, a civil rights lawsuit challenging a Texas ordinance that required all adults living in rental housing within the city of Farmer’s Branch to obtain a $5 occupancy license conditioned upon the occupant's citize...

Links of Interest: August 27-31, 2012

Elections and Judicial Performance Election Law Blog analyzes the decision holding that Texas' Voter ID law violates the Voting Rights Act. Gavel To Gavel provides a comprehensive overview of Florida's proposed merit selection amendment. Criminal Justice Sentencing Law and Policy drew our a...

Links of Interest: August 20-24, 2012

Judicial Performance and Elections The Election Law Blog has copies of the amicus brief filed in support of cert filed jointly by six states and a separate brief filed by Alaska in the Voting Rights Act case. Petitioners Shelby County and John Nix filed the initial petition in July seeking Suprem...

Report Release: Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line

The Obama administration has made progress in improving the U.S. immigration court system, but much remains to be done, according to Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line, a report by public interest justice centers Appleseed and Chicago Appleseed with pro bono counsel Akin Gump Strauss Ha...

Serving the Needs of Both Immigration Courts and the People Appearing in Them

Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice has signed on to a letter to Congress (.pdf) supporting expansion of the Legal Orientation Program established by the Executive Office for Immigration at the Department of Justice in 2002.  The LOP provides funding to state and local organizations that work with de...