Category: Court Cases

Garland Overturns Hateful Trump Asylum Precedent

July 26, 2021

United States Attorney General, Merrick Garland Overturns Trump Asylum Precedent Excluding Domestic Violence Survivors: San Francisco, CA (July 26, 2021) – Today Attorney General Merrick Garland overturned a Trump-era asylum precedent that undermined protections for survivors of domestic violence and other gender-related persecution. In 2020 then-Attorney General William Barr issued the precedent, known as Matter … More Garland Overturns Hateful Trump Asylum Precedent

Fair Housing Discrimination Complaint Filed Against Landlord in Sonoma

January 26, 2021

San Rafael, CA – For more than 20 years, it has been illegal for most California landlords to use a minimum income standard in assessing eligibility for a rental applicant that is not based on the portion of the rent to be paid by the tenant, if the tenant has a government subsidy. In January … More Fair Housing Discrimination Complaint Filed Against Landlord in Sonoma

Court Blocks Trump Death to Asylum Rule

January 8, 2021

San Francisco, California (January 8, 2021) – Today the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction blocking a sweeping Trump administration rule that would gut protections for people fleeing persecution and torture. The injunction halts the new rule’s implementation nationwide ahead of its scheduled effective date of Monday, January … More Court Blocks Trump Death to Asylum Rule

New Litigation Challenges Trump’s Cruel Anti-Asylum Law

December 24, 2020

San Francisco, California (December 24, 2020) – Four immigrant rights organizations – Pangea Legal Services, Dolores Street Community Services, Inc., Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), and Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition – have requested a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit challenging a sweeping new rule that will eviscerate access to protection for people … More New Litigation Challenges Trump’s Cruel Anti-Asylum Law

Court Blocks Trump’s Illegal Border Expulsions of Children

November 18, 2020

District Court Blocks Administration’s Illegal Border Expulsions Washington, D.C. (November 18, 2020) – A district court today issued an order blocking application of the Trump administration’s “Title 42” order to all unaccompanied children, nationwide, in a class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, Texas Civil Rights Project, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, and … More Court Blocks Trump’s Illegal Border Expulsions of Children

Over 120 LGBT Organizations Sign Letter to U.S. Senators Opposing Barrett SCOTUS Confirmation

October 23, 2020

Over 120 LGBTQI organizations signed the below letter addressed to all United States Senators, opposing the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) as the replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. African Human Rights Coalition is a proud signatory to the letter, noting the huge impact that … More Over 120 LGBT Organizations Sign Letter to U.S. Senators Opposing Barrett SCOTUS Confirmation

Challenge to Harmful Trump Reversal of Fair Housing Rule

October 23, 2020

Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California joins the National Fair Housing Alliance to Challenge Harmful Trump Administration Reversal of Fair Housing Rule Lawsuit to Fight Ruthless Rollback of Equal Housing Protections  Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California, … More Challenge to Harmful Trump Reversal of Fair Housing Rule

Trump’s Shemzag SCOTUS Pick is Unworthy of RBG Seat

September 25, 2020

“She the People” on Trump’s Supreme Court Pick:  “Amy Coney Barrett … is a detriment to our democracy.” The ONLY reason Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is not somersaulting in disgust in her grave is because she is not yet buried.  Today Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, one of the most profound American Jurists of all time, a … More Trump’s Shemzag SCOTUS Pick is Unworthy of RBG Seat

Federal Court Rules Florida School Must Treat Transgender Students Equally

August 10, 2020

Victory! Federal Court Rules Florida School Must Treat Transgender Students Equally Including Access to Restrooms …. Drew Adams’ case was the country’s first trial involving a transgender student’s equal access to restrooms. (ATLANTA – August 10, 2020) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed on Friday a lower court ruling that required a … More Federal Court Rules Florida School Must Treat Transgender Students Equally

El Salvador Police Officers Convicted of Killing Trans Woman Deported from U.S.

August 3, 2020

As a country conditions expert who testifies for LGBTQI people from African countries, I often speak about the risk of death for deported lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer asylum seekers and allies. I know some American judges do not take this seriously and that often government lawyers fight asylum cases in disbelief. Well ‘the proof of the pudding,’ … More El Salvador Police Officers Convicted of Killing Trans Woman Deported from U.S.

Canadian Court Strikes Down Safe Third Country Agreement with United States

July 22, 2020

Marin, CA (July 22, 2020) –  The Federal Court of Canada,  returned an historic decision today, striking down the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United States. The decision from Justice Anne Marie McDonald found the agreement to be unconstitutional, holding that it violates the guarantee in the Canadian Charter of Rights and … More Canadian Court Strikes Down Safe Third Country Agreement with United States

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Rules for Refugees Right to Legal Gender Recognition

July 16, 2020

In the judgement Rana v. Hungary delivered today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) held that Hungary had breached its obligation to protect the right to private life under Article 8 of the Convention by rejecting the application of an Iranian transgender refugee to have his name and sex marker changed officially. The judgement … More European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Rules for Refugees Right to Legal Gender Recognition

Lawsuit Against Trump Admin’s Horrific Rule Removing the ACA Non-Discrimination Protections during Pandemic

July 9, 2020

TLDEF, TLC, NWLC, Harvard CHLPI, and Firm Hogan Lovells File Lawsuit Against Trump Administration’s Rule Removing ACA’s Non-Discrimination Protections Today, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF), the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Transgender Law Center (TLC), the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (CHLPI) of Harvard Law School, and law firm Hogan Lovells filed … More Lawsuit Against Trump Admin’s Horrific Rule Removing the ACA Non-Discrimination Protections during Pandemic

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down Transit Ban as it Violates Asylum Law

July 6, 2020

San Francisco, CA (July 6, 2020) –A federal appeals court has upheld a block on the Trump administration’s attempt to make individuals who traveled through a third country on the way to the United States before arriving at the southern border ineligible for asylum, with very limited exceptions. The lawsuit, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Barr, … More Ninth Circuit Strikes Down Transit Ban as it Violates Asylum Law

Trump Loses in Federal Court as Deportation of Boy under Public Health Laws Halted

June 24, 2020

Federal Court Again Blocks Removal of Honduran Youth in First Challenge to Trump Administration’s Illegal Border Expulsion Order – Judge Says Trump Order Likely Unlawful A federal court has once again provisionally blocked the deportation of a Honduran boy in the first legal challenge to the Trump administration’s order restricting immigration at the border based on … More Trump Loses in Federal Court as Deportation of Boy under Public Health Laws Halted

NO NO NO to the Rabidly Anti-LGBTQI Cory Wilson for Fifth Circuit Lifetime Appointment

June 22, 2020

Rep. Thompson, Civil Rights Groups Oppose Cory Wilson for the Fifth Circuit – Part of a sweeping effort by President Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate to pack the courts with extremely conservative justices, Mississippi judge Cory Wilson has been open with his anti-LGBTQ political views…. and more… WASHINGTON – On a press call today, civil … More NO NO NO to the Rabidly Anti-LGBTQI Cory Wilson for Fifth Circuit Lifetime Appointment

In Defeat of Trump Supreme Court Blocks Attempt to End DACA

June 18, 2020

Immigrant communities and the many Americans with heart are rejoicing today at this news which comes as a HUGE defeat for Trump and a triumph for immigrants: Today the Supreme Court protected DACA- our Dreamers are safe for now from the monstrous hell they have been through by this administration and its supporters, now in … More In Defeat of Trump Supreme Court Blocks Attempt to End DACA

Marin’s Sheriff Doyle Should Resign as SCOTUS Rules Against Trump Challenge of California Sanctuary Law

June 15, 2020

Today the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s challenge to California’s sanctuary law, which restricts state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agents. Over the dissents of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, the court denied review of a lower-court ruling that concluded the 2018 state law does not interfere illegally with federal immigration … More Marin’s Sheriff Doyle Should Resign as SCOTUS Rules Against Trump Challenge of California Sanctuary Law

With Landmark Supreme Court Victory LGBTQI Groups Reflect on Future

June 15, 2020

In an historic 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis sex, also protects employees from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Today’s decisions confirm workplace anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across the … More With Landmark Supreme Court Victory LGBTQI Groups Reflect on Future

CGRS Asylum 21St Century Victories

June 5, 2020

Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at Hastings Law School, San Francisco (CGRS), has published two new videos discussing the recent Sixth Circuit victories in Juan Antonio v. Barr and Guzman v. Barr, as a part of their “Asylum in the 21st Century: What’s New?” video series. Take a look: Juan Antonio v. Barr: In this case involving an indigenous … More CGRS Asylum 21St Century Victories

George Floyd Deprived of Human Rights in Life and Death

May 28, 2020

If you are going to deny equality of treatment even within the process of seeking justice that is in and of itself an injustice that defecates on the very tenets of equality and spews racism. Among the most basic tenets of Human Rights as contained in United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights include We Are All … More George Floyd Deprived of Human Rights in Life and Death

Ugandan LGBTI Detainees Released from Prison after 49 Days of Torture

May 20, 2020

Nineteen young men from the Children of the Sun Foundation (COSF), spent 49 days of hell and torture in Kitalya Prison, Uganda, where they were denied the right to lawyer visits. We now know why: As the young men emerged from the prison this week, after a lengthy battle in the Court and the subsequent … More Ugandan LGBTI Detainees Released from Prison after 49 Days of Torture

Ugandan Detained Youths Subject to Torture of Anal Exams after Raid of Homeless Shelter

May 15, 2020

AND CALLS FOR ACTION Today, after a lengthy Court battle to attain access to detained clients, the Ugandan Prisons authorities gave  HRAPF’s legal advocates unfettered access to the COSF-19 at Kitalya Mini Maxi Prison. The group were arrested after Ugandan police opportunistically used the COVID-19 emergency to target gays in its ongoing persecutory hunt of … More Ugandan Detained Youths Subject to Torture of Anal Exams after Raid of Homeless Shelter

VICTORY: South Carolina Lesbian Couple Case Moves Forward Challenging Foster Care Policy

May 8, 2020

VICTORY: South Carolina Lesbian Couple to Have Their Day in Court in Challenge to HHS and South Carolina Foster Care Policy. District court allows lawsuit to go forward challenging HHS waiver that permits a government-funded South Carolina foster care agency to reject applications from same-sex parents   A U.S. District Court today denied an effort by … More VICTORY: South Carolina Lesbian Couple Case Moves Forward Challenging Foster Care Policy

San Francisco Tenderloin Lawsuit Over ‘Insufferable’ Sidewalk Conditions Amid COVID-19

May 4, 2020

UC Hastings, Other Tenderloin Residents Sue San Francisco Over ‘Insufferable’ Sidewalk Conditions Amid COVID-19 – Article in The Recorder accessed below… “The conditions now prevailing in the Tenderloin constitute a violation of the fundamental civil rights of those residing and working there,” wrote lawyers for Tenderloin residents suing to force the city to confront encampments … More San Francisco Tenderloin Lawsuit Over ‘Insufferable’ Sidewalk Conditions Amid COVID-19

Lawsuit Against U.S. Government for Critical Information on Trump’s Muslim and African Ban

May 1, 2020

State Department, CBP Illegally Withholding Records on Immigration Ban Waivers and Purported “Worldwide Review” Washington, DC — Today, Muslim Advocates and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) sued the U.S. State Department and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol for failing to respond to a records request for essential information about the Trump … More Lawsuit Against U.S. Government for Critical Information on Trump’s Muslim and African Ban

Certificate of Urgency issued in Ugandan Anti-Gay COVID-19 Case

April 28, 2020

Further to our reporting on the case against the COSF-19 where on Friday 24th April 2020, Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF) filed a case before the Civil Division of the High Court of Uganda challenging the denial of the 19 LGBT persons currently on remand at Kitalya Mini Maxi Prison access to their … More Certificate of Urgency issued in Ugandan Anti-Gay COVID-19 Case

Lawyers Denied Access to LGBTI Group in Ugandan Prison Pending Trial

April 24, 2020

Today, Friday 24th April 2020, Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF) filed a case before the Civil Division of the High Court of Uganda challenging the denial of the 19 LGBT persons currently on remand at Kitalya Mini Maxi Prison access to their lawyers by refusing to grant permission to the lawyers to access … More Lawyers Denied Access to LGBTI Group in Ugandan Prison Pending Trial

Fighting for Asylum Seeker Rights Against the Order – See letter to CDC’s Kyle McGowan

April 23, 2020

FORMAL COMMENT TO GOVERNMENT PORTAL OBJECTING TO CDC RULE IN LETTER BELOW Melanie Nathan: “African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC- African HRC) has submitted the following comment and objection to the CDC Rule change that is harming all asylum seekers, especially the most marginalized who make their way to the Southern Borders of the United States. … More Fighting for Asylum Seeker Rights Against the Order – See letter to CDC’s Kyle McGowan

Trump Scapegoats Immigrants Attempting to Deflect from Failed Pandemic Response

April 21, 2020

Last night Donald Trump current President of The United States,  announced by tweet plans to issue an executive order temporarily suspending all immigration to the United States. Comments in  response: Decrying the Trump Threat to Suspend Immigration Karen Musalo, Director of the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS), shared the following comment: “Once again, … More Trump Scapegoats Immigrants Attempting to Deflect from Failed Pandemic Response