The Daily Journal named ACLU of Southern California Deputy Legal Director Ahilan Arulanantham to its annual list of the top 100 lawyers in California yesterday. This is Ahilan’s fifth time receiving the honor:  The Daily Journal previously included him on the list in 2012, 2009, 2008, and 2007.
The Daily Journal cited Mr. Arulanantham’s work on the landmark case of Franco-Gonzalez v. Holder, a class action lawsuit on behalf of immigration detainees suffering from serious mental disabilities. In April, a federal court judge ruled that the government must provide legal representation to detainees whose mental disabilities leave them unable to represent themselves in their immigration proceedings. This marked the first time that immigration detainees won a right to appointed counsel in removal proceedings.
“I am proud of the honor, which belongs not to me but to all of the attorneys and other advocates at the ACLU, Sullivan & Cromwell, Public Counsel, the Northwest Immigrants’ Rights Project, and Mental Health Advocacy Services who have worked tirelessly to create justice for people with serious mental disabilities caught in the immigration detention and deportation system,” said Mr. Arulanantham.

We are so close to expanding abortion access for women in California. The state legislature has passed the Early Abortion Access Bill (AB 154) and it is now headed to the governor's desk.
In recent times, clinics across the country have been forced to shut their doors on women. In our state alone, more than half of our counties do not have an accessible abortion provider, creating barriers for women in both urban and rural areas. In some cases, women have to travel five hours by train or bus and also arrange for child care and missed work, while others face long delays in medical appointments. AB 154 seeks to change that by authorizing trained health professionals to provide early abortions.
Stand with California women and families today, and urge Gov. Brown to sign AB 154 and lead the country in comprehensive reproductive health care services.

---

>>Act Now

Sign the petition to Governor Brown, telling him to sign AB 154 today.