February 5, 2020

Pacifica Law Group Attorneys File Amicus Briefs in U.S. Court of Appeals Cases Challenging ‘Public Charge Rule’

Pacifica Law Group attorneys Paul Lawrence and Alanna Peterson, assisted by Thien Tran, submitted amicus briefs on behalf of 40 state and national domestic violence and sexual assault organizations in cases in the Second, Fourth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits U.S. Courts of Appeals challenging the Trump Administration’s public charge rule. The rule would effectively preclude immigrants who receive critical public benefits like food, shelter, and medical care from changing or extending their immigration visas or obtaining permanent resident status. The amicus briefs explain the devastating impact that the rule would have on victims of gender-based violence, who often rely on those resources to escape and heal from abuse, and urge the appellate courts to affirm the preliminary injunctions entered by the district courts.

On January 28, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a nationwide preliminary injunction of the rule, permitting the Administration to enforce the rule now in all states but Illinois (where a statewide preliminary injunction is still in effect), pending further appellate adjudication.

Amicus Brief – Case 19-3591

Amicus Brief – Case 19-3595