Center for Human Rights & Constitutional Law
Welcome to the World Wide Web site of the Center for Human Rights & Constitutional Law. The Center is a non-profit, public interest legal foundation dedicated to furthering and protecting the civil, constitutional, and human rights of immigrants, refugees, children, and the poor.
The Center is supported by the California Legal Services Trust Fund, private donations, and the receipt of attorneys' fees in major cases. Students, lawyers, and other volunteers are encouraged to join the Center's efforts to protect and promote domestic and international civil and human rights.
California holds more prisoners in solitary confinement than any other state in the United States or any other nation on earth. The treatment of these prisoners is barbaric and numerous experts agree amounts to torture. It destroys their mental and physical health, and destroys them spiritually. They live like prisoners held in a Gulag, not a modern democracy. They are locked in solitary segregation merely because they may have associated with a gang, and remain in isolation until shown to be “gang free” for “six years.” These prisoners engaged in a widely publicized hunger strike during the summer of 2011, and are now suffering retaliation (more time in solitary segregation) because they had the courage to protest their treatment by refusing to eat.
Hundreds of prisoners have joined together to petition the United Nations to intervene by conducting on on-site investigation, permitting Red Cross visits, and ultimately ruling that the California’s policy on isolated segregation amounts to torture and violates well-established international human rights norms.
These prisoners are joined in their petition by a coalition of the following organizations: California Prison Focus; Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law; Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes; Fair Chance Project; California Families to Abolish Solitary Confinement; Justice for Families; The Real Cost of Prisons Project; American Friends Service Committee; Community Futures Collective; Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights; California Prison Moratorium Project; Legal Services for Prisoners with Children; and Disability Rights Legal Center.
The petition names as responding parties the United States of America, the State of California, Jerry Brown, Governor of the State of California, and Matthew Cate, Secretary, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
To obtain the United Nations Petition click HERE
To obtain the 22 Quotes by main United Nations Petitioners click HERE
We request that you consider posting this LINK on your websites so that there is the broadest possible dissemination of this effective video about the harm caused by court budget cutbacks. Copies of this Open Courts Coalition video presentation were delivered to key members of the legislature this morning. It is a brief but terrific video including interviews with our Chief Justice, the Attorney General, the President of the California Chamber of Commerce, and other key statewide leaders addressing the importance of adequate funding for the courts. There are particularly powerful segments by David Lash and Hernan Vera on this video
We also invite you to attend the “Stand up for Justice” rally in LA at noon Wednesday coordinated by the Open Courts Coalition. We hope there is tremendous participation in this public event to show support for the courts. Speakers will include Governor Gray Davis, Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno (ret.) and Senator Joe Dunn (ret.). A statement from Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Assembly member Michael Feuer will be presented
STAND UP FOR JUSTICE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzhErnUBxyQ
We have prepared a legislative update for the fourth quarter of 2011 reviewing the status of legislative proposals impacting on low-income California immigrants pending or recently acted on by the California Senate, the California Assembly, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Links are provided to facilitate further research on the status of pending bills.
To download the legislative update click HERE
October 30, 2010
To: Special Immigrant Juvenile (“SIJ”) applicants and their representatives
You are hereby notified that the parties in Perez-Olano, et al. v. Holder, et al., have presented a proposed nationwide class action settlement of this lawsuit to the Court for approval pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e) and a hearing has been scheduled for December 13, 2010, at 10:00 a.m., before the Honorable Dean D. Pregerson of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, 312 N. Spring Street, Courtroom 3, Second Floor, Los Angeles, California. The Court has directed that class members and their representatives be provided notice of the terms of the proposed settlement so that persons whose rights may be affected by the Settlement may have an opportunity to object to it.
The proposed nationwide settlement will impact on the rights of thousands of young immigrants who may be eligible for SIJ status, including minors in removal proceedings.
IF YOU AGREE with the proposed settlement, you do not need to do anything. If you wish to attend, you may be present at the public hearing on the proposed settlement as stated above. IF YOU DISAGREE with the proposed settlement, you have a right to object to it. Your objections will be considered by the Court as it reviews the settlement ONLY IF you follow the procedures described in the NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT AND HEARING IN CLASS ACTION FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILES.
Select here to obtain a PDF version of the NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT AND HEARING IN CLASS ACTION FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILES
Select here to obtain a PDF version of the SHORT NOTICE FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILES
Select here to obtain a PDF version of the SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
If you wish to discuss the settlement with class counsel, please contact Peter Schey (213) 388-8693 ext 304, pschey@centerforhumanrights.org, and/or Carlos Holguin (213) 388-9693 ext. 309 crholguin@centerforhumanrights.org
Click here to download pdf
The Center is supported by the California Legal Services Trust Fund, private donations, and the receipt of attorneys' fees in major cases. Students, lawyers, and other volunteers are encouraged to join the Center's efforts to protect and promote domestic and international civil and human rights.
Bienvenido a la página World Wide Web del Centro por Derechos Humanos y Ley Constitucional. El Centro es una organización no-lucrativa que se dedica para el bienestar público y para promover y proteger los derechos civiles, constitucionales, y humanos de inmigrantes, refugiados, menores de edad, y los pobres.
El Centro recibe apoyo generoso de El California Legal Services Trust Fund, la Fundación Liberty Hill, y de sus miembros. Les damos la bienvenida a estudiantes, abogados, u otros voluntarios disponibles a unirse con los esfuerzos del Centro a proteger y promover derechos humanos y civiles en el ámbito nacional e internacional.
HUNDREDS OF CALIFORNIA PRISONERS IN SOLITARY SEGREGATION PETITION THE UNITED NATIONS TO INTERVENE
California holds more prisoners in solitary confinement than any other state in the United States or any other nation on earth. The treatment of these prisoners is barbaric and numerous experts agree amounts to torture. It destroys their mental and physical health, and destroys them spiritually. They live like prisoners held in a Gulag, not a modern democracy. They are locked in solitary segregation merely because they may have associated with a gang, and remain in isolation until shown to be “gang free” for “six years.” These prisoners engaged in a widely publicized hunger strike during the summer of 2011, and are now suffering retaliation (more time in solitary segregation) because they had the courage to protest their treatment by refusing to eat.
Hundreds of prisoners have joined together to petition the United Nations to intervene by conducting on on-site investigation, permitting Red Cross visits, and ultimately ruling that the California’s policy on isolated segregation amounts to torture and violates well-established international human rights norms.
These prisoners are joined in their petition by a coalition of the following organizations: California Prison Focus; Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law; Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes; Fair Chance Project; California Families to Abolish Solitary Confinement; Justice for Families; The Real Cost of Prisons Project; American Friends Service Committee; Community Futures Collective; Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights; California Prison Moratorium Project; Legal Services for Prisoners with Children; and Disability Rights Legal Center.
The petition names as responding parties the United States of America, the State of California, Jerry Brown, Governor of the State of California, and Matthew Cate, Secretary, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
To obtain the United Nations Petition click HERE
To obtain the 22 Quotes by main United Nations Petitioners click HERE
STAND UP FOR JUSTICE
We request that you consider posting this LINK on your websites so that there is the broadest possible dissemination of this effective video about the harm caused by court budget cutbacks. Copies of this Open Courts Coalition video presentation were delivered to key members of the legislature this morning. It is a brief but terrific video including interviews with our Chief Justice, the Attorney General, the President of the California Chamber of Commerce, and other key statewide leaders addressing the importance of adequate funding for the courts. There are particularly powerful segments by David Lash and Hernan Vera on this video
We also invite you to attend the “Stand up for Justice” rally in LA at noon Wednesday coordinated by the Open Courts Coalition. We hope there is tremendous participation in this public event to show support for the courts. Speakers will include Governor Gray Davis, Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno (ret.) and Senator Joe Dunn (ret.). A statement from Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Assembly member Michael Feuer will be presented
STAND UP FOR JUSTICE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzhErnUBxyQ
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 2011
We have prepared a legislative update for the fourth quarter of 2011 reviewing the status of legislative proposals impacting on low-income California immigrants pending or recently acted on by the California Senate, the California Assembly, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Links are provided to facilitate further research on the status of pending bills.
To download the legislative update click HERE
October 30, 2010
CLASS ACTION LITIGATION ALERT
NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT IN CLASS ACTION FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILES
To: Special Immigrant Juvenile (“SIJ”) applicants and their representatives
You are hereby notified that the parties in Perez-Olano, et al. v. Holder, et al., have presented a proposed nationwide class action settlement of this lawsuit to the Court for approval pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e) and a hearing has been scheduled for December 13, 2010, at 10:00 a.m., before the Honorable Dean D. Pregerson of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, 312 N. Spring Street, Courtroom 3, Second Floor, Los Angeles, California. The Court has directed that class members and their representatives be provided notice of the terms of the proposed settlement so that persons whose rights may be affected by the Settlement may have an opportunity to object to it.
The proposed nationwide settlement will impact on the rights of thousands of young immigrants who may be eligible for SIJ status, including minors in removal proceedings.
IF YOU AGREE with the proposed settlement, you do not need to do anything. If you wish to attend, you may be present at the public hearing on the proposed settlement as stated above. IF YOU DISAGREE with the proposed settlement, you have a right to object to it. Your objections will be considered by the Court as it reviews the settlement ONLY IF you follow the procedures described in the NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT AND HEARING IN CLASS ACTION FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILES.
Select here to obtain a PDF version of the NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT AND HEARING IN CLASS ACTION FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILES
Select here to obtain a PDF version of the SHORT NOTICE FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILES
Select here to obtain a PDF version of the SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
If you wish to discuss the settlement with class counsel, please contact Peter Schey (213) 388-8693 ext 304, pschey@centerforhumanrights.org, and/or Carlos Holguin (213) 388-9693 ext. 309 crholguin@centerforhumanrights.org
Information regarding potential lawsuit challenging denial of California drivers licenses to immigrants seeking legalization of status
Click here to download pdf
March 23, 2011: Obama Challenges GOP on Immigration
President Obama revealed fresh resolve in pressing for immigration legislation Tuesday; challenging Republicans to join his path for reform or face the electoral consequences. "[P]erhaps some of my Republican friends are gonna start recognizing, if they looked at the last census, that they are gonna have a very hard time winning any elections if they continue to deliberately target anti-immigration sentiment," the president told Spanish-language Univision TV Tuesday in El Salvador. Read more: http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/03/23/obama-challenges-gop-immigration#ixzz1HVbfZFnAWhat's happening in Washington?
Learn about Unity Blueprint
Check out the National Immigration Forum
Flake rejects comprehensive immigration fix
March 23, 2011: Flake rejects comprehensive immigration fix by Dan Nowicki - Mar. 23, 2011 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic For years, Rep. Jeff Flake was one of the most reliable Republican champions for comprehensive immigration reform. Not anymore. As his campaign for Arizona's 2012 GOP Senate nomination revs up, Flake is explicitly rejecting his past advocacy for far-reaching legislation that would secure the border, enact a temporary-worker program and give many undocumented immigrants a pathway to legal status. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/03/23/20110323Flake0323.html#ixzz1HVXqASscFeb. 7, 2011: Rep. Mike Honda: The Economic Case for Immigration Reform
House Speaker John Boehner's recent selection of Rep. Elton Gallegly of California over Rep. Steve King of Iowa to head the Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee is one step closer to the kind of reform for which past administrations, including those of former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, had long called. Both Republican congressmen may be opposed to the kind of reform that House Democrats call for. But Gallegly seems inclined to take a more reasoned approach. Especially if Democrats can explain the economic advantages to reform. And there are many. Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-mike-honda/cents-and-sensibility-the_b_819704.html|
Support Services for California QLSPs |
|
The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law provides technical support for California Qualified Legal Services Programs funded by the Legal Services Trust Fund. These services include training, research assistance on individual cases, co-counseling on major impact litigation, etc. Read more... |
