Legal Services Case Studies and Success Stories with Readz platform
CASE STUDY Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services
Sidley helped Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services with a petition for review in the Fourth Circuit. The case involved a client from El Salvador seeking protection under the United Nations C...onvention Against Torture. The client faced threats from police, vigilante groups, and gangs if deported. Sidley's arguments led the court to remand the case for reconsideration. The court also set a new rule to consider all sources of risk together for CAT applicants.
CASE STUDY Political Asylum and Immigrants’ Rights Project
Sidley helped the Political Asylum and Immigrants’ Rights Project win asylum for a gay man from Nigeria. The client faced over ten years of persecution due to his sexual orientation. Sidley supported... the asylum application and prepared the client for interviews. The team also created a country conditions report. Their work led to a successful asylum outcome.
Sidley worked for over 13 years to help Timothy Flowers avoid a new death sentence. The firm and its co-counsel secured post-conviction relief in 2015, leading to a new sentencing hearing. Before the... hearing, the state agreed to a settlement. Mr. Flowers was sentenced to life without parole. Sidley dedicated thousands of hours and significant resources to this case.
Sidley lawyers worked with the Justice Action Center to challenge a presidential proclamation that would bar immigrants without approved health insurance or sufficient wealth. The team secured a nati...onwide temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction, stopping the proclamation from taking effect. On April 7, 2020, the court certified two subclasses of immigrants and their families. This helped at least 70,000 families secure visas and allowed families to reunite. Employers also benefited by gaining access to valuable employees who obtained green cards.
CASE STUDY First Amendment Coalition of Arizona and seven death row inmates
Sidley worked with the First Amendment Coalition of Arizona and seven death row inmates to increase transparency in Arizona's execution process. The team won a case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for t...he Ninth Circuit. The court ruled that the First Amendment right to view executions includes the right to hear all sounds during executions. Arizona's restrictions on access to these sounds were found to violate this right. This is the first appellate court decision to extend access rights to include sounds in government proceedings.
Sidley helped a man from the Congo who faced political persecution. He came to the United States in 2011. His first asylum application was denied. Sidley represented him in Immigration Court in New Y...ork City. In March 2019, he was granted asylum. This case shows Sidley's work in political asylum and immigrants’ rights.
Non-Profit Organization Management Case Studies and Success Stories with Readz platform
CASE STUDY Fair and Just Prosecution
Sidley drafted an amicus brief for Fair and Just Prosecution. The case focused on poor conditions at Virginia juvenile halls, where immigrant teens faced isolation and violence. Sidley argued for a t...rauma-informed approach to mental health care for detained children. Their brief was signed by 57 legal leaders from 30 states and Washington, D.C. The effort brought national attention and added a strong perspective to the Fourth Circuit appeal.
CASE STUDY Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
Sidley helped the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) win a case against the Department of Homeland Security. The case challenged a new public charge rule that limited immigra...nts' access to public benefits. The Seventh Circuit upheld an injunction, finding the rule unreasonable and arbitrary. ICIRR also won a district court ruling allowing equal protection claims to proceed. These legal victories protect immigrants' rights to basic benefits.
