News

The Center joined many prestigious legal organizations throughout California and the US in submitting an amicus brief in an important international human rights case involving the government’s duty to protect against domestic violence. The effort paid off in a precedent-setting decision by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The Commission’s decision in Gonzales vs. US found that a municipal police department’s inadequate response to a victim’s request to enforce a restraining order led to the tragic death of her 3 children and that their subsequent failure to investigate their omissions, violated her and her children’s human rights. The case highlights the lethal dangers faced everyday by victims of domestic violence, and the role the Center and other public interest organizations play in protecting their rights.