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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: | Tim Schultz |
| April 29, 1998 | ||
| 202/833-0100 | ||
| 800/787-8216 |
ARIZONA SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN "OFFICIAL ENGLISH"
U.S.ENGLISH Chairman Vows to Strike Back With New Initiative
The Arizona Supreme Court today struck down Arizona's official language amendment to the state constitution. In the case of Ruiz v. Hull, the court ruled that the official English amendment, Article 28, was too broad. The court pointed to more narrowly crafted official English laws such as those in Montana and Wyoming, saying that if Arizona's law had contained similar exceptions, "it might well have passed constitutional muster."
In response to the court's opinion, Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board/CEO of U.S.ENGLISH, said, "The people of Arizona want English to be the official language of their state government. U.S.ENGLISH has over 27,000 members in Arizona. On their behalf, I pledge to pass a new initiative that addresses the concerns raised by the State Supreme Court."
U.S.ENGLISH, the national grassroots organization that was instrumental in passing the 1988 amendment in Arizona, had filed an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief in the case, asking the Arizona Supreme Court to uphold the will of the voters and rule that the official English amendment is constitutional.
"We are disappointed that the court did not uphold the will of the people of Arizona, but we are pleased that the court recognized that the laws we have passed in other states could be constitutional," said Mr. Mujica. "In the ten years since Article 28 was passed, we have gained much experience in drafting laws that make English the official language of government while still protecting everyone's constitutional rights, such as the laws we passed in Montana (1995) and Wyoming (1996)."
Although Arizona voters approved the official English amendment in November 1988, it has been in litigation since that time. Opponents of official English sued in federal court to block the amendment the day after it passed, but that case was ruled moot by the United States Supreme Court in 1997, opening the way for Arizona's Supreme Court to consider the matter.
U.S.ENGLISH is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting English as the common language of the United States. The group was founded in 1983 by the late Senator S.I. Hayakawa of California, and now has over 1.3 million members nationwide.
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