MALDEF

STATEMENT ON DISMISSAL OF SB 4 LAWSUIT AGAINST MALDEF BY STATE OF TEXAS


June 16, 2017


Los Angeles, CA - On May 8, the State of Texas named MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) in a preemptive lawsuit against those with the temerity to publicly challenge Texas SB 4, the anti-immigrant statute signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, based solely on MALDEF’s stated intention to bring a court challenge against the draconian law. Today, Texas served notice that it has dropped MALDEF from the lawsuit.

Please attribute the following statement to MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz:

"Today, after MALDEF made very clear its intention to pursue all available remedies against the state of Texas for filing a completely frivolous lawsuit against a civil rights law firm, the state relented and filed a voluntary dismissal of all of its claims against MALDEF. This now permits MALDEF to devote its energies to the appropriate forum for resolving the many constitutional questions surrounding SB 4 – federal court in San Antonio. MALDEF represents the City of San Antonio and three non-profit agencies in challenging the entirety of SB 4.

Today's dismissal represents only a partial cure of Governor Abbott's and Attorney General Paxton's apparent problem with premature litigation. A more complete cure involves dismissing the entire preemptive lawsuit they filed in Austin, which is illegitimate against the remaining defendants, just as it was against MALDEF."

Read the notice of dismissal here.



Founded in 1968, MALDEF is the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Often described as the "Latino Legal Voice for Civil Rights in America" MALDEF promotes social change through advocacy, communications, community education, and litigation in the areas of education, employment, immigrant rights, and political access. For more information on MALDEF, please visit: www.maldef.org.

Copyright 2009 MALDEF — Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund