In an ACLU case of national importance, a federal judge issued a crucial ruling Friday in a case challenging the practices of Maricopa County ruled Friday on the case concerning Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  The National ACLU Immigration Project and the ACLU of Arizona successfully challenged the Sheriff Department’s use of racial profiling during raids and traffic stops.

Judge G. Murray Snow of United States District Court delivered a 142 page decision criticizing the practices of Sheriff Arpaio and his deputies:

According to a story in The New York Times, the judge said the “sheriff relied on racial profiling and illegal detentions to target Latinos, using their ethnicity as the main basis for suspecting they were in the country illegally. Many of the people targeted were American citizens or legal residents.

“In an immigration enforcement context,” Judge Snow ruled, the sheriff’s office “did not believe that it constituted racial profiling to consider race as one factor among others in making law enforcement decisions.” In fact, he said its plans and policies confirmed that, “in the context of immigration enforcement,” deputies “could consider race as one factor among others.”

The ruling prohibits the sheriff’s office from using “race or Latino ancestry” as a factor in deciding to stop any vehicle with Latino occupants, or as a factor in deciding whether they may be in the country without authorization.

It also prohibits deputies from reporting a vehicle’s Latino occupants to federal immigration authorities or detaining, holding or arresting them, unless there is more than just a “reasonable belief” that they are in the country illegally. To detain them, the ruling said, the deputies must also have reasonable suspicion that the occupants are violating the state’s human-trafficking and employment laws or committing other crimes.”

The ACLU of Illinois congratulates the National ACLU and the ACLU of Arizona on this big win.

As we continue to wait for a vote on Senate Bill 10, support for the measure continues to grow.  An editorial in The Chicago Tribune speaks to the benefits of allowing same-sex couples the freedom to marry and what it will mean for the state of Illinois. Civil unions have been legal in Illinois since 2010.  But couples in civil unions are denied many federal benefits available to married couples. For many, the fight for marriage is a fight to have their relationships recognized under federal law. Senate Bill 10 does not require churches and ministers to administer gay marriage ceremonies and assures that churches will not be penalized for refusing to allow same-sex ceremonies. What Senate Bill 10 does allow is to, “reward committed relationships, promote stable families and safeguard the interests of children with same-sex parents.” Governor Pat Quinn has also urged lawmakers to vote on this historic piece of legislation and to join the 12 other states who have already “cast a vote for history.” Public opinion polls show huge support for same-sex marriages and the numbers continue to rise. The ACLU of Illinois as part of the Illinois Unites for Marriage coalition has been behind this bill from its beginning and our work is not yet over. These next few days are of the utmost importance and we encourage you to show your support for Senate Bill 10 by contacting your legislator and encouraging them to cast their vote for the right side of history.

Illinois State Representative La Shawn Ford announced Tuesday that he has pledged his support for Senate Bill 10, approving the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples, when it is called for a vote this week -- the final week of this session of the General Assembly. Ford told The Chicago Sun-Times that it was his community that helped him with this decision. He said, "I got tons of calls in support, and the constant lobbying and support for the measure from those that believe this is a right they deserve is what really pushed it over the top. I just think that all the credit goes to the community that lobbied hard for the measure. It's a page out of the civil rights movement to show that when you work hard and come together, things change. And how do you vote against something where so many people have worked so hard to fight for?”

As we approach the end of the legislative session in Springfield, it is crucial that we reach out to our legislators and show our support for the freedom to marry. You can look up your legislator at the Illinois Unites website and let them know that you are in support of Senate Bill 10. We only have a few days left to make Illinois Lucky Number 13 for the freedom to marry!