ADVISORY: ACLU And Other Groups In Court TODAY To Block Implementation Of Arizona’s Profiling Law SB1070

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 22, 2010

CONTACTS ON SITE:
Adela de la Torre, NILC, (213) 400-7822 (cell); delatorre@nilc.org
Laura Rodriguez, MALDEF, (310) 956-2425
Jon O’Neill, ACLU of Arizona, (602) 773-6007; joneill@acluaz.org

CONTACTS OFF SITE:
Maria Archuleta, ACLU, (212) 519-7808 or 549-2666; media@aclu.org
Karin Wang, APALC, (213) 241-0234 or 999-5640; kwang@apalc.org
Marco Loera, NDLON, (602) 373-3859; mloera@ndlon.org
Leila McDowell, NAACP, (202) 463-2940 or (202) 463-2940 ext. 1021

PHOENIX – Today at 10 a.m. PDT, the American Civil Liberties Union 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. PDT today.

The civil rights coalition filed its lawsuit challenging the extreme law on May 17, charging that it invites racial profiling, interferes with federal law and violates various constitutional guarantees including the First Amendment, equal protection and the right to travel.

The coalition includes the ACLU, MALDEF, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) – a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice – 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. Some clients represented by the coalition will also be available for interviews.

WHO:
Omar Jadwat, staff attorney, ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project and Nina Perales, Southwestern Regional Counsel, MALDEF will present arguments at the hearing. Karen Tumlin, Managing Attorney, NILC; Lucas Guttentag, Director, ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project; Julie Su, Litigation Director, APALC; Chris Newman, Legal Director, NDLON; and co-counsel from ACLU of Arizona and Munger Tolles as well as plaintiffs from Friendly House, et al. v. Whiting, et al. will also be available for press questions.

WHEN:
Hearing today at 10 a.m. PDT
Outdoor press conference and press availability outside courtroom to follow immediately after hearing

WHERE:
Courtroom 200 (Special Procedures Courtroom)
Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse
401 W. Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona

The motion for a preliminary injunction can be found at: www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights-racial-justice/friendly-house-et-al-v-whiting-et-al-plaintiffs-motion-preliminary-

Leave a Reply