News Releases Archives

MALDEF SEEKS SUPREME COURT REVIEW OF VOTING RIGHTS DECISIONS IN TEXAS AND ARKANSAS

Feb 4, 2026 | News Releases, Voting Rights

LOS ANGELES– A Latino civil rights group is seeking Supreme Court review in two separate cases challenging voting rights restrictions in Texas and Arkansas under a section of the federal Voting Rights Act, according to petitions filed with the court last week.

MALDEF MOURNS THE PASSING OF DENVER CIVIC LEADER AND FORMER MALDEF BOARD MEMBER MANUEL L. MARTINEZ

Feb 3, 2026 | News Releases

LOS ANGELES – MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) mourns the passing of Manuel L. Martinez, a distinguished Denver attorney, civic leader, and longtime MALDEF board member. He died on January 7, 2026, at 74.

MALDEF SEEKS TO INTERVENE ON BEHALF OF STUDENTS TO DEFEND VIRGINIA TUITION POLICY

Jan 16, 2026 | Court Cases Education, Court Cases Immigrants' Rights, News Releases

Richmond, VA – A Latino civil rights organization filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit seeking to eliminate regular tuition for students without lawful immigration status in Virginia, according to papers filed in federal court Thursday. MALDEF (Mexican...

ILLINOIS GOV. J.B. PRITZKER SIGNS BILL PROTECTING SAFE ACCESS TO COURTS FOR ALL

Dec 9, 2025 | News Releases, Public Policy Immigrants' Rights

CHICAGO, IL – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law the Court Access, Safety, and Participation Act, which prevents immigration officers and others from making civil arrests at courthouses in the state.

MALDEF STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT ORDER ALLOWING NEW TEXAS REDISTRICTING MAPS TO BE USED FOR 2026

Dec 4, 2025 | News Releases, Voting Rights

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday granted a stay of a district court order that had blocked Texas’ mid-decade congressional redistricting plan, clearing the way for the new map to be used in the 2026 elections.

MALDEF HONORS LATINO LEADERS AT SAN ANTONIO AWARDS BANQUET

Nov 29, 2025 | News Releases

SAN ANTONIO – MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) paid tribute on Friday to three Latino leaders who have dedicated their careers to promoting and protecting the rights of the Latino community.

MALDEF MOURNS THE PASSING OF TEXAS LEADER AND FORMER MALDEF CHAIR AND BOARD MEMBER ALICIA R. CHACÓN

Nov 26, 2025 | News Releases

LOS ANGELES – MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) mourns the passing of Alicia R. Chacón, a former national chair and board member of MALDEF. She died Tuesday at 87.

MALDEF APPEALS COURT RULING IN DISCRIMINATORY LENDING CASE

Nov 20, 2025 | Court Cases Immigrants' Rights, DACA, News Releases

PHOENIX – A Latino civil rights organization is appealing a district court decision to compel arbitration in a class-action lawsuit against a Texas credit union. The lawsuit challenged GECU Federal Credit Union’s (GECU) policy of unlawfully refusing to consider loans and financial services to certain immigrants because of their status rather than their credit-worthiness.

JUDGE ALLOWS IMMIGRANT STUDENTS TO INTERVENE TO DEFEND KENTUCKY TUITION POLICY

Nov 20, 2025 | Court Cases Education, Court Cases Immigrants' Rights, News Releases

FRANKFORT, KY– Students represented by MALDEF, a Latino civil rights organization, can intervene in a federal-government lawsuit seeking to eliminate regular tuition rates for students without lawful immigration status in Kentucky, according to a court order issued yesterday.

MALDEF STATEMENT ON COURT INJUNCTION BLOCKING TEXAS’ MID-CYCLE REDISTRICTING PLAN

Nov 18, 2025 | News Releases, Voting Rights

EL PASO, Texas – A federal court today issued a preliminary injunction blocking Texas from implementing its mid-cycle congressional redistricting plan, preventing the plan from taking effect for the 2026 elections.

MALDEF SEEKS TO INTERVENE ON BEHALF OF STUDENTS TO DEFEND OKLAHOMA TUITION POLICY

Nov 5, 2025 | Court Cases Education, Court Cases Immigrants' Rights, News Releases

MUSKOGEE, Okla. — A Latino civil rights organization filed a motion last week to intervene in a lawsuit that rescinded regular tuition for students without lawful immigration status in Oklahoma.

MALDEF CHALLENGES SPOKANE CREDIT UNION FOR VIOLATING WASHINGTON STATE LAW BY DISCRIMINATING AGAINST DACA RECIPIENTS

Oct 22, 2025 | Court Cases Immigrants' Rights, DACA, News Releases

PASCO, Wash.– A Latino civil rights organization is challenging, for a second time, the discriminatory policies of a Spokane, Washington-based credit union for unlawfully denying DACA recipients financial services based on their citizenship or immigration status.

MALDEF STATEMENT ON BRIEFS FILED IN TEXAS CHALLENGE TO DACA

Sep 30, 2025 | Court Cases Immigrants' Rights, DACA, News Releases

(LOS ANGELES) – Parties involved in a Texas-led challenge to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) filed court-ordered briefs on Monday about possible next steps in the long-running case.

MALDEF FILES APPEAL OF COURT DECISION BLOCKING STUDENTS FROM DEFENDING THE TEXAS DREAM ACT

Sep 22, 2025 | Court Cases Education, Court Cases Immigrants' Rights, News Releases

WICHITA FALLS, TX —A Latino civil rights organization filed an appeal of a federal district court decision that denied some immigrant students the opportunity to defend a law allowing them to pay the same tuition as most students at public schools and universities in Texas.

CALIFORNIA GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM SIGNS BILL BANNING EXTREME MASKING BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

Sep 20, 2025 | News Releases, Public Policy

LOS ANGELES – California Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed into law the No Secret Police Act, or SB 627, a landmark measure that prohibits local and federal law enforcement officers from concealing their faces with extreme masking.

News Releases