Civil Rights News: Immigration Equality Challenges the Defense of Marriage Act; Banks Outsource Credit Card Debt Collection; NYPD Continues to Stop and Frisk Citizens

Compiled by Wally McElwain, a Spring 2012 intern at The Leadership Conference Education Fund

Noncitizens Sue Over U.S. Gay Marriage Ban
Julia Preston
New York Times

On Monday, same-sex marriage advocates filed a lawsuit challenging the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  Advocates argue that the law discriminates against gay or lesbian immigrants seeking legal residence as a result of their marriage to an American citizen. In the United States, spouses of citizens are entitled to a green card. However, DOMA doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage, even if the couple was married in a state that allows the practice. This forces gay and lesbian American citizens to decide whether to separate from their spouse or leave the United States for a foreign country. Immigration Equality, a member organization of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, brought the lawsuit in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The executive director of Immigration Equality, Rachel B. Tiven, stated that her organization was prompted to continue with the lawsuit after the federal government refused to put a hold on green card applicants as challenges to DOMA make their way through the courts.

Why People Hate the Banks
Joe Nocera
New York Times

Banks came under scrutiny for the first time in decades after the housing bubble and ensuing financial crisis. President Obama created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help protect American citizens from predatory practices. On Monday, The American Banker shed light on another major issue in American banking when the publication released the third part of a series on credit card debt collection practices. According to the report, banks such as JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America have outsourced their credit card debt collection to private debt buyers. These debt buyers purchase the debt for pennies on the dollar and then sue the borrower. Numerous problems arise out of this practice. For one, the banks and debt buyers prey on low-income individuals who can’t afford a lawyer. Even more troubling, the banks typically aren’t legally required to provide documentation to the debt buyer, which unfairly shifts the responsibility for catching financial errors to the borrower.

Stop and Frisk, Continued
Editorial
New York Times

Controversy continues to grow over the stop and frisk policy of the New York Police Department. Studies have shown that minorities disproportionately affected by these searches, but New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and police commissioner Raymond Kelly have shown no signs of stopping the practice. Last week, the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a suit in federal court on behalf of thirteen complainants. The lawsuit focuses on private rental building in which the owner has given the police permission to patrol the halls. Unsurprisingly, this practice has resulted in the violation of the tenants’ constitutional right, under the Fourth Amendment, to be protected from illegal searches and seizures. Stop and frisk arrests can result in unchecked racial profiling, which makes Americans feel less like citizens and more like suspects.