Last fall, Proskauer attorneys filed an amicus brief on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of Massachusetts (ACLUM) in Commonwealth v. Arias, SJC-13816. On April 15, 2026, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued its opinion in the case, holding that police violated Article 14 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights by waiting more than 24 hours to stop Jose Arias after observing him commit a civil traffic infraction while tailing him as part of a drug investigation. The SJC reversed the denial of Mr. Arias’s Motion to Suppress, vacated his conviction, and remanded the case to the Superior Court.
Proskauer Partners with the ACLU to Challenge Voting Restrictions in South Carolina
By Stephen Hibbard & Michael Beckwith on
In partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project (ACLU VRP) and the ACLU of South Carolina, Proskauer filed a lawsuit on behalf of the NAACP of South Carolina and individual South Carolina voters seeking to enjoin three South Carolina voting laws that restrict absentee voting and voter assistance. South Carolina’s restrictions are similar to laws enacted by several other states, but the new South Carolina laws conflict with—and thus are pre-empted by—federal law, specifically by Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended (VRA), which provides that voters who are blind, disabled, or unable to read or write can obtain assistance from a person of their choosing when voting.
Proskauer Partners with ACLU to File Amicus Brief Urging the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to Curb Pretextual Stops and Reinforce Constitutional Protections Against Warrantless Arrests
By Emily Wakeman & Alexander Guzy-Sprague on
On November 21, 2025, Proskauer attorneys filed an amicus brief on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of Massachusetts (ACLUM) before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) in the case of Commonwealth v. Arias, which presents foundational questions about the protections guaranteed by Article 14…
Proskauer Kicks Off Election Protection Efforts with Panel Discussion
By Michelle Moriarty on
To signal the official launch of Proskauer’s 2024 Election Protection efforts, Proskauer hosted a panel presentation on voting rights.
With a presidential election coming up this fall, protecting the right to vote has never been more important. Proskauer’s panel event highlighted numerous present threats to American democracy, including voter suppression…
Bloomberg and Proskauer Sponsor Equal Justice Works Fellow at the ACLU Voting Rights Project
By William C. Silverman & Wendy Dessy on
Bloomberg and Proskauer are sponsoring Equal Justice Works Fellow Clay Pierce, who will work at the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project. Clay, a recent graduate of Columbia Law School, will work to advance voting rights for people with disabilities who are adversely affected by state laws that limit and criminalize voter assistance.
The Real Price of Forced Prison Labor
By William C. Silverman on
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865 at the conclusion of the Civil War, abolished slavery across the United States with one notable exception. According to the amendment, “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” (emphasis added). In other words, slavery and involuntary servitude remain constitutionally acceptable forms of punishment for individuals who are convicted of crimes. This loophole has a disturbing history of being used to target Black Americans in the aftermath of the Civil War, with local authorities imprisoning thousands of formerly enslaved people on faulty charges and exploiting their labor. In upholding the legality of forced prison labor, the Virginia Supreme Court even went so far as to describe a prisoner who challenged the practice as a “slave of the State.” Ruffin v. Commonwealth (1871).
Proskauer Joins American Civil Liberties Union to Protect Constitutional Rights of Incarcerated Individuals
By Stephen Hibbard, Aaron Francis & Dixie Morrison on
On December 7, 2023, a team of Proskauer attorneys joined the American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”), the ACLU of Delaware, and attorneys from Shaw Keller LLP in filing a complaint against the state of Delaware on behalf of the Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network (“PLAN”) to protect the Constitutional right to vote for incarcerated individuals.
Overcoming Challenges to Voting Rights
By Wendy Dessy & William C. Silverman on
2023 is neither a presidential nor mid-term election year but nevertheless there are extensive efforts underway across the country to combat a host of recent measures meant to restrict the right to vote. The Bloomberg and Proskauer communities recently came together at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York for a discussion highlighting those efforts, addressing the health of our democracy, and presenting a call to action for the hundreds who attended this lunchtime event.
Moderated by Bloomberg reporter Greg Farrell, the speakers included Casey Smith, an Equal Justice Works Fellow funded by Bloomberg and Proskauer who works for the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, and Godfre Blackman, a Proskauer associate who recently served as the firm’s NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) Fellow, which enabled him to work directly with the LDF on various voting rights issues.