East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association

Today, the EBLRLA board voted to endorse the 2010 National Latino Congreso.

Convened by nine national Latina/o advocacy organizations, the 2010 National Latino Congreso will be held January 29-31 in El Paso, Texas and will be the fourth such Congreso in recent history, following the original convening in 2006.

In the coming months, the EBLRLA will organize a delegation of lawyers, law students and other legal workers who identify with the Latina/o community and wish to engage one of 2010’s first national convenings of Latina/o advocates, bringing the distinctive legal education, social capital and critical insights of organized Latina/o lawyers to share with other advocates for justice.

“Organizing Latina/o lawyers to unify in support of the human rights of our people — and all who are socially and legally marginalized — is necessary at this time,” says EBLRLA president, Marc-Tizoc González, “and the EBLRLA calls on others interested in advancing social justice to endorse the National Latino Congreso.

The East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association joins local and national legal organizations calling upon California Department of Justice attorney David Carrillo to reconsider teaching a constitutional law course with Boalt Hall law professor John Yoo.

Authored by the National Lawyers Guild - San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, the open letter calls for Mr. Carrillo to meet and discuss grave concerns about how co-teaching the course will serve to legitimize Professor Yoo, whose actions as a Bush Administration attorney created the legal justification for US torture policies — in contravention of binding domestic and international human rights law and the professional responsibility of a governmental lawyer advising one’s client.

The EBLRLA joins the following organizations in co-signing the letter:

• Alliance for Justice
• Berkeley La Raza Law Students Association
• Boalt Alliance to Abolish Torture
• Law Students for Justice in Palestine
• National Lawyers Guild UC Berkeley School of Law Chapter

“By co-signing this letter, we express our views on the ethical duties of organized lawyers to educate the public on the limits of the rule of law — which Professor Yoo clearly violated and which Mr. Carrillo threatens to legitimize,” says EBLRLA president Marc-Tizoc González, an attorney at the Homeless Action Center and lecturer in the UC Berkeley Chicano/Latino Studies Program.

“In particular, we express solidarity with other legal organizations promoting accountability for the abuses of the Bush Administration, which distorted legal reasoning to justify torture and other policies abhorrent to the US constitution and international human rights norms,” he continued.

“As legally educated people whose ancestry and heritage extends throughout Latin America, it is incumbent on us to help educate the public in the terrible histories of torture and to ensure that we not forget the recent past. We look forward to meeting and discussing these matters with Mr. Carrillo.”

Mark your calendar for the EBLRLA’s Annual Holiday Party!

Friday December 11, 2009
6:00 pm a la Casa Ynostroza

Each year we gather in early December to relax, catch up with old friends, meet new Raza lawyers and law students, and make plans for the coming year. Comida buena from Mario’s La Fiesta and libations will be provided.

Bring yourself, your loved ones, those you mentor, etc., as we dream large for immigration reform and a statewide caucus of community-oriented Latina/o lawyers (and other friends to our community) in 2010.

To RSVP early, please email EBLRLA Secretary, Paul Chavez, paulchavez@centrolegal.org.

On Thursday October 29, 2009, the East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association and friends celebrated a Judicial Excellence and Scholarship Awards Dinner at the Cocina Poblana restaurant in Oakland’s Jack London Square.

Themed, “Civil Rights in the 21st Century: An Injury to One is an Injury to All!,” the event honored the judicial excellence and moral courage of California Supreme Court Justice Carlos R. Moreno for his principled dissent in Strauss v. Horton, the Prop. 8 case. The evening also featured a powerful keynote speech about the potential for justice through solidarity and familiarity by acclaimed gay Latino novelist Michael Nava, a judicial staff attorney running for San Francisco Superior Court Judge in 2010.

The event also honored Ms. Erlinda G. Castro for her lifetime achievements as a socially active lawyer and provided scholarships to five Latina Berkeley Law students: Lucero Chavez, Elizabeth De La Torrre, Magdalena Guadalupe, Oriana Sandoval and Amanda Urquiza, rewarding their commitment to serving the social justice needs of the Latina/o community.

Event sponsors included:

• Kazan, McClain, Lyons, Greenwood & Harley, P.C.
• Kazan, McClain, Abrams, Fernandez, Lyons, Greenwood, Harley & Oberman Foundation, Inc.
• Diana Lyons
• Frank Fernandez
• Alameda Contra Costa County Trial Lawyers Association
• Sundeen, Salinas & Pyle
• Morrison & Foerster
• Reed Smith

Save the Date — October 29, 2009

The East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association is proud to host our annual

Judicial Excellence and Scholarship Awards Dinner
“Civil Rights in the 21st Century: An Injury to One is an Injury to All!”
October 29, 2009, 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Cocina Poblana, 499 Embarcadero West
Oakland, CA 94607

2009 Judicial Excellence Honoree:

• California Supreme Court Justice Carlos R. Moreno

Keynote Speech:

• Michael Nava, acclaimed Latino author and California Supreme Court staff attorney to Justice Moreno

Scholarship Recipients:

• to be announced at the event

This year’s dinner theme and judicial excellence award honors Justice Moreno’s principled dissent in Strauss v. Horton, the Prop. 8 case. We believe that history will show the moral and legal truth of Justice Moreno’s legal reasoning and invite you to join us in a delightful evening of justice and solidarity.

This year we plan to provide five (5) $2,000.00 scholarships to first, second and third year law students who (1) self-identify as Latina/o, (2) live, work or study in Alameda or Contra Costa counties and (3) have demonstrated their commitment to serving the social justice needs of the Latina/o community.

Click here for scholarship applications.

For sponsorship information, please call our event coordinator, Coco Corona, By Design Multimedia, at 707-644-4218.

As a sponsor, you will have an opportunity to meet with our honorees, special guests and dignitaries as well as participate in the Scholarship Awards presentation and have yourself or your organization listed in our program booklet and website.

Sincerely,

EBLRLA Board