2026 Grantees Submit Second Quarter Case Reports
All of the Barbara McDowell Social Justice Center’s 2026 grantees were contacted in April in accordance with the Center’s requirements and reported with respect to the progress of their case through the second quarter of their grant cycle. Each grantee’s report can be found below. In addition to reporting on their progress, each grantee submitted second quarter timesheets for their case work and met with the Center team to discuss their cases.
Amica Center for Immigrant Rights
During the first six months of the grant period, our Children’s Legal Services Case, CLSEPA v. HHS1, has progressed rapidly, with plaintiffs securing emergency relief and prevailing at every stage of litigation. The district court granted both a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and a Preliminary Injunction (PI), fully restoring funding for legal services for more than 25,000 unaccompanied immigrant children nationwide. The court also denied the government’s motion to dismiss, allowing the case to proceed on the merits. The government has made multiple attempts to overturn the injunction, including emergency motions and appeals, all of which have been rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. As a result, critical legal services for tens of thousands of children nationwide have remained in place while litigation continues.
Plaintiffs survived their fifth summary judgment motion. After the district court's order, municipal defendants noticed an interlocutory appeal to the Fifth Circuit of the denial of two qualified immunity defenses and two Heck defenses. Last week, the Magistrate Judge stayed all discovery pending the appeal. Shortly after we entered our notices of appearance, we were informed that the Circuit had selected the case for mediation. After some discussion, we've decided to try it. That session is now scheduled for July 21, 2026 in New Orleans.
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
On May 14, 2025, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, in conjunction with Campaign Legal Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed suit challenging Louisiana’s S.B. 436, which requires documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. We alleged that the 2024 law addresses an infinitesimal concern, noncitizen voting, and disenfranchises U.S. citizens by requiring documentation of citizenship that is not readily available to millions of eligible voters. We sued on behalf of the Voice of the Experienced, the NAACP Louisiana State Conference, the League of Women Voters of Louisiana, and the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, bringing constitutional claims, as well as statutory claims under the National Voter Registration Act. On July 24, 2025, the defendants moved to stay the proceeding for 60 days while it sought changes to the Louisiana instructions on the federal voter registration form from the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). While the Court considered the briefing on the motion, Plaintiffs received a response from an open records request that they had sent in early 2025 related to the law Via this response we learned that at least one parish in Louisiana (Lafayette Parish) may be requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, UC Hastings College of Law
Al Otro Lado et al. v. Trump et al. challenges the presidential proclamation “Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion,” which invokes Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the president’s claimed “inherent” constitutional authority to suspend the entry of noncitizens at the southern border. The proclamation also unlawfully bars individuals who lack specific background documents from crossing the southern border and seeking asylum — effectively shutting down access to the asylum system for some of the most vulnerable individuals in need of protection. The case also challenges the government’s unlawful cancellation of approximately 30,000 CBP One appointments without notice or justification.