Access to Justice

MALDEF is devoted to eliminating barriers that prevent Latinos from having meaningful and unfettered access to challenge discriminatory policies.

MALDEF employs a wide range of tactics – including direct contact with elected representatives and government officials, cooperative efforts with partner organizations, media statements, and more to help enact laws and policies to ensure that the Latino community has equal access to the same rights and benefits available to everyone else in this society.

MALDEF has advocated forcefully for equal treatment on a number of fronts. With the Trump administration failing to put forth Latino nominees for the federal courts, we’re lobbying Congress to demand a more inclusive bench. Thanks to MALDEF’s efforts,  qualified Illinois residents can no longer be denied professional licenses based on their immigration or citizenship status. And we’ve teamed up with our partners to demand greater representation of Latinos in the film industry.

Equal opportunity is a linchpin of American values. MALDEF is committed to ensuring that Latinos have an equal chance to excel and thrive.

Access to Justice

MALDEF STATEMENT ON THE NOMINATION OF TWO LATINAS TO FEDERAL COURTS OF APPEAL

Apr 14, 2023 | , , ,

LOS ANGELES – Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) issued the statement below in response to President Biden’s nomination of two sitting judges to federal courts of appeals, including the first Latina to serve on the U.S Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

MALDEF STATEMENT DENOUNCING SCOTUS RULING OVERTURNING ROE v. WADE  

Jun 24, 2022 | , ,

LOS ANGELES –  Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) issued the following statement in response to today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that established the constitutional right to reproductive choice that has been in place for nearly 50 years:

MALDEF STATEMENT ON THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S FAILURE TO ADDRESS HISTORICAL LATINO EXCLUSION IN JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS

May 25, 2022 | , ,

LOS ANGELES – Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s latest slate of judicial nominees to the federal bench that once again overlooks the Latino community:

MALDEF STATEMENT ON THE NOMINATION OF JUSTICE PATRICIA GUERRERO TO THE CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT

Feb 16, 2022 | , ,

LOS ANGELES –  On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated Fourth District Court of Appeal Justice Patricia Guerrero to serve as an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. If confirmed, Guerrero would be the first Latina to serve on the state’s high court. Please attribute the following statement on the nomination of Justice Guerrero to Ernest I. Herrera, Western Regional Counsel for MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):

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