ASSOCIATION FOCUS
THE LATINO LEGAL VOICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN AMERICA
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
44
IN 1968, AMERICA WAS ENTRENCHED IN CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLES. It was a challenging time for many minority groups, made even more diffi cult by the assassination of two major civil rights advocates, Dr. Martin Luther King and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. It was during this tumultuous era that MALDEF—the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund—was formed to address the needs of the country’s grow- ing Latino population. MALDEF was founded in
in San Antonio, Texas,
1968, to protect the rights of Mexican Americans through litigation, advocacy, and leadership development. In the 40 years since its inception, it has become the nation’s lead- ing Latino legal civil rights organization. Wherever and whenever possible, MALDEF steps in to pro- tect
the rights of Latinos
BY KARA MAYER ROBINSON
the Latino community. We think proactively about how to advance the civil rights of Latinos and respond quickly when Latinos come under attack through unfair discrimi- nation,” explains Victor Viramontes, MALDEF’s national senior counsel.
“WE THINK PROACTIVELY ABOUT HOW TO ADVANCE THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF LATINOS AND RESPOND
QUICKLY WHEN LATINOS COME UNDER ATTACK THROUGH UNFAIR
DISCRIMINATION” — VICTOR VIRAMONTES
and promote social change. T e organization is often referred to as the “law fi rm of the Latino community.” Headquartered in Los Angeles, it has offi ces in Los
Angeles, San Antonio, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., and is overseen by a 30-member board of directors. It currently employs 21 attorneys. MALDEF’s approach to social change involves advocacy, communications, community education, and litigation. It has four distinct areas of focus: education, employment, immigrant rights, and political access. “MALDEF is a small group of dedicated lawyers and staff who believe in our mission to litigate on behalf of
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012
LEVERAGE THROUGH LITIGATION MALDEF’s impact has been signifi cant, due in large part to its ability to litigate for social change. A prime example is the organization’s landmark victory in the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case, Plyler v. Doe, in which the court struck down a Texas law that allowed districts to charge tuition to children of undocumented immigrant parents. As a result of this case, MALDEF attorneys successfully secured free public education for all schoolchildren, regardless of their parent’s immigra- tion status. Recently, it has focused
on cases involving the redis- tricting of congressional and other legislative districts to off er Latinos equal electoral opportunities. Last June, MALDEF fi led suit in Texas to ensure that the state complied with the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA),
which bans racial discrimination in voting practices by the federal government as well as by state and locate govern- ments.1
According to the VRA, Texas is required to increase
the current number of Latino-majority Texas House and congressional districts to match the state’s Latino growth, as measured by recently released Census data. “Latinos in Texas have earned the right to districts
that refl ect their strength and importance in the state,” explains T omas A. Saenz, MALDEF president and general counsel2
, noting that this suit was a fi rst step
MCCA.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52