Tax Program Helps Low-Income Families; Alabama Unrelenting on Anti-Immigrant Law; Convicted Defendants Not Informed about Faulty Evidence

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

Antipoverty Tax Program Offers Relief, Though Often Temporary
Sabrina Tavernise
New York Times

Every April, thousands of low-income families eagerly await a much needed tax return from the federal government. The earned income tax credit is the largest antipoverty program in the country. In many cases, the tax credit is the only way for poor families to make large purchases or repay overdue bills. These checks are becoming increasingly important for people working in a tenuous labor market. One in two American families with children received the credit at least once between 1989 and 2006. However, many of the recipients fall back into poverty after receiving the credit as they struggle to maintain their livelihoods with low-wage jobs. Some lending companies prey on low-income communities by offering loans at exorbitant rates to families waiting for the tax credit to make overdue payments.

Alabama Digs a Deeper Hole
Editorial
New York Times

Elected officials in Alabama are considering changes to HB 56, one of the nation’s severest anti-immigrant laws. However, the slight alterations being put forward do nothing to stop the law’s harshest features. Despite protests around the country and a number of pending lawsuits, Alabama will not budge. The state will continue to use police officers as immigration agents, criminalize individuals and organizations caught providing relief to immigrants, and promote racial profiling in law enforcement.

Convicted Defendants Left Uninformed of Forensic Flaws Found by Justice Dept.
Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post

Recent investigations have uncovered that the Department of Justice was aware of forensic flaws that could exonerate individuals convicted of serious crimes. Although the Justice Department knew that the protocols for hair and fiber analysis could result in wrong matches, they limited their investigation of the possible faulty evidence to a single FBI Special Agent. The new findings could potentially affect thousands of cases in federal, state, and local courts. The Justice Department told the prosecutors of the new findings; however, the prosecutors often failed to inform the defense counsel and defendant about this development. One defense lawyer didn’t know about the forensic errors until being contacted by the Washington Post to comment on this story.