Town to Settle Lawsuit over Immigrants’ Rights
By micro99 at 23 October, 2008, 5:49 pm
The town of Cave Creek in Arizona is to pay compensation to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other immigrant-rights groups after passing a day-laborer ordinance that was ruled to be discriminatory.
Under the ordinance, people were prohibited from looking for work on or near public streets, <i>KHPO News</i> reports.
However, judges have now ruled that the law violates rights laid out in the First Amendment.
Alessandra Soler Meetze, a member of Arizona’s division of the ACLU, said: “I think localities should heed the lessons learned from this case. It’s a waste of tax dollars to continue to defend an ordinance that was clearly discriminatory.”
Cave Creek’s mayor Vincent Francia said he did not think the ordinance would be in breach of the constitution.
The council must now pay compensation of $70,000, although the ACLU had originally asked for $137,000.
The First Amendment to the U.S. constitution expressly prohibits laws being made that limit the right to peaceably assemble.
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