Patterson Belknap and The Center for Constitutional Rights Successfully Quash Government Subpoenas on Behalf of Immigrant Rights Organizations
June, 2023 - New York, New York
On May 23, 2023, Patterson Belknap and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) successfully challenged three subpoenas issued by the Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to small, local non-profits providing aid to immigrants. The Attorney General withdrew the subpoenas after the firm and CCR argued in a motion, filed on March 20, that the subpoenas were “overbroad,” seek information that is “irrelevant,” “impose an undue burden,” and “undermine the guarantees enshrined in the First Amendment.”
The subpoenas were issued in Arizona v. Garland, a case in which Louisiana and 18 other states claim that the Biden Administration’s asylum rules will increase immigration levels, which will cause the states to incur “increased costs.” The three non-profit organizations are Louisiana Advocates for Immigrants in Detention, Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy, and Home is Here NOLA, which provide aid to detained immigrants, immigrants who have been recently released from detention, and individuals facing immigration removal proceedings. The withdrawal ensures the protection of sensitive personal data and the organizations’ ability to help immigrant communities in need.
