Will AZ Chief Justice Ruth McGregor cave to Hispanic Bar?
Arizona’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor has agreed to send out the Hispanic Bar Association’s demand letter requesting banning the terms “illegal” and “aliens,” to judges throughout the state, according to Corruption Chronicles, a Judicial Watch Blog.
Claiming that the terms are inflammatory, Lizzette Alameda Zubey, the president of Los Abogados Arizona’s Hispanic Bar Association, has asked Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor to discontinue using the words in trials or hearings due to the negative perceptions of judicial bias.
In a strongly worded letter to the chief justice, Los Abogados’ president Zubey says attaching an illegal status to a person establishes a brand of contemptibility, creates the appearance of anti-immigrant prejudice and tarnishes the image of courts as a place where disputes may be fairly resolved.
The letter fallaciously states that no human being is illegal and that a national Hispanic Journalism Association has roundly criticized the reference for dehumanizing a segment of the population. The letter goes on to criticize the state’s High Court for using the term “illegals” in at least two opinions and the term “illegal aliens” in dozens of others.
It concludes with a list of acceptable and unacceptable terms relating to illegal immigration. Among those the group wants banned are; immigration crisis, immigration epidemic, open borders advocates, anchor babies and invaders. Among the acceptable terms are foreign nationals, unauthorized workers and human rights advocates.
The entire list as well as Chief Justice McGregor’s conciliatory promise to distribute the demand letter from Los Abogados’ President are available here.
Syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin covers the politically correct absurdity emanating from Arizona’s Supreme Court and its Chief Justice Ruth McGregor.
Update: Letter from Paul J. Orfanedes. Director of Litigation. Judicial Watch to The Honorable Ruth V. McGregor, Chief Justice, Arizona Supreme Court
November 7, 2008 at 4:12 pm
If the chief justice gives in to these foolish demands I would ike to demand she step down!
November 7, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Earth to Hispanic Bar Association: All illegal aliens are aliens. They are not all “workers.” Will the Arizona Supreme Court give in to the latest round of policical correctness. I certainly hope our courts have more integrity than that!
“Illegal alien” IS the correct legal term. It is a term that demonstrates no bias. It would be a lie to call them all “workers.”
November 7, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I was recently on a jury pool. The alleged criminal was of Hispanic origin who was listening to the procedures through hearing aids which provided transaltion. The judge was very explicit in her instructions that we were not to take any of this account in our judgment. She also explicitly asked if this was a problem for any of us.
I thought this was an attempt to provide a fair trial. I was proud to be an American who was participating in a judicial system that attempted to be unbiased.
(There were a number of jurors who stated that they felt that they couldn’t be impartial jurors because they believed that the Sheriff’s office (under whose jurisdiction the man was arrested) was targeting hispanics – they were not chosen to be in the jury.)
November 7, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Legal immigrants are a world apart from illegal aliens. And, yes, some people are indeed illegals.
Sorry you aren’t fond of the term. As members of the Hispanic Bar Association, you might try to influence the illegals to stay home. Then no one will refer to them using language that is unacceptable to you.
November 7, 2008 at 9:04 pm
What a joke this is! McGregor should have deep sixed that inane letter. We still have First Amendment rights, regardless of what the Hispanic Bar thinks.
November 7, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Please call 602-452-3300 to express your viewpoint to the Arizona judicial branch. Contact your legislators and demand that this farce be ended. We cannot sit idly by and allow this. Also contact the Hispanic Bar Association and read them the riot act.
They are racists, pure and simple.
November 7, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I agree with Thomas -While the Judge should have acknowledge receipt of the letter and been finished with it, she or the Courts HAVE NOT banned the use of the words illegal and illegal aliens.
That is the whole issue. People and organizations saying that the AZ Supreme is BANNING such. Simply NOT TRUE.
Again, distributing the letter was not the right thing to do, and that is what needs to be addressed, not the term BANNING as that is not the case.
November 7, 2008 at 11:28 pm
For the Chief Justice of the AZ Supreme Court to cower to this minority bar is an outrage. They are not the thought police. Neither do they have the final word on our speech. I am horrified at their arrogance and equally stunned that she would capitulate to these race-based requests.
BTW, why do we have minority Bar associations? Why don’t all lawyers belong to the same professional organization?
November 8, 2008 at 9:04 am
First of all, let’s find out if this is actually true.
Then we need a legal definition of what has actually happened, if anything. with regard to this {rumor}.
Once that is established, hopefully, we will be able to actually
address this issue with assurance.
November 8, 2008 at 9:05 am
Night Owl- nope. There are minority groups for internal auditors, CPAs, engineers… the list is endless. THis is especially true on college campuses. They identify more with race than profession- which ought to tell us a lot.
November 8, 2008 at 9:21 am
Tim R, is right,
This is not something that has been accepted and approved by the Justice system.
It is merely a recommendation that judges use while addressing an issue regarding illegal aliens.
It is wholly possible that, due to “political correctness”, this suggestion will be implemented in trials and hearings by many judges.
November 8, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Ever wonder about why the most vocal nations that claim to support “open borders,” that have the largest outflows of legal and illegal immigrants and equate open border advocacy with human rights, have some of the most heavily militarized borders in the world with at least some of their neighbors? Ever wonder why these very same nations have extraordinarily restrictive legal immigration and even more restrictive immigrant employment procedures?
November 8, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Kathryn:
What do you mean, “Let’s find out if this is actually true?” Click on the letters — both the demand letter from the Hispanic Bar president and the sweetness and light letter from the Chief Justice. I suggest you read them to see if it’s “actually true.” It will onlly take a brief amount of your time and will ensure that you have proper information before asking your question.
Political correctness has no place on the state’s highest court.
November 10, 2008 at 5:34 pm
VILLANOVA, YOU ARE CORRECT.
THE SIMPLE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LETTER IS NOT BANNING THOSE WORDS, {ILLEGAL AND ILLEGAL ALIEN}
I CONTACTED THE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER FOR THE SUPREME COURT.
SHE SAID THAT THE BEST ACTION TO COUNTER THIS LETTER WOULD BE TO WRITE THE CHIEF JUSTICE RUTH MCGREGOR.
I ONLY MEANT TO INFER, THAT GIVEN THE “POLITICALLY CORRECT ENVIORNMENT”, THAT WE LIVE IN, IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT THIS SUGGESTION COULD BE USED BY INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM.
SO IT SEEMS THAT TO COUNTER THIS LETTER, THOSE OF US WHO ARE OPPOSSED TO THIS CHANGE IN WORDAGE, NEED TO WRITE TO THE CHIEF JUSTICE AND EXPRESS OUR DISPLEASURE.
I THINK IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO WRITE THE LETTER BY LONGHAND RATHER THAN AN E-MAIL
ARIZONA SUPREME COURT
HONORABLE RUTH MCGREGOR
1501 W. WASHINGTON
PHX AZ 85007
November 14, 2008 at 2:27 pm
[...] week Seeing Red AZ addressed the issue of a demand letter sent to Arizona’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor by Lizzette [...]