American Jewish Committee Urges Supreme Court To Strike Down Alabama English-Only Driver ExamAmerican Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee today called on the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Alabama's English-only driver's license exam policy, calling the statute discriminatory. In an amicus curiae brief filed in Alexander v. Sandoval, the American Jewish Committee urged the high court to uphold the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit which concluded that the English-only exam violates federal regulations prohibiting recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of national origin.  AJC believes that English-only policies, which are a direct outgrowth of the anti-immigrant movement, unfairly penalize new immigrants, are inherently divisive and serve no positive function in that they have not been shown to increase English literacy. The case was initiated by Martha Sandoval, who brought a class action suit against the Alabama Department of Public Safety charging that their recently enacted English-only driver's license exam policy constituted discrimination on the basis of national origin in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI prohibits any recipient of federal financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin in any federally funded program. The federal district court and the appellate court found in her favor. AJC joined in the amicus with the National Women's Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.
For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org |
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