How do “English Only” laws deprive people of their rights?
The ACLU believes that “English Only” laws are inconsistent with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. For example, laws that have the effect of eliminating courtroom translation severely jeopardize the ability of people on trial to follow and comprehend the proceedings. “English Only” laws interfere with the right to vote by banning bilingual ballots, or with a child’s right to education by restricting bilingual instruction. Such laws also interfere with the right of workers to be free of discrimination in workplaces where employers have imposed “speak English only” rules. In 1987, the ACLU adopted a national policy opposing “English Only” laws or laws that would “characterize English as the official language in the United States…to the extent that [they] would mandate or encourage the erosion” of the rights of language minority persons.
