Law and Software

I am one of a small number of people who got to swear to uphold the U.S. Constitution as a legal document, and not as part of an oath of allegiance to the United States. I was an officer of the court in a country that is my home, but I was not a citizen. Theoretically, I could have defended a client’s right to vote, even though I had no such right. But I crossed the five year wait line. And applied for citizenship. This post is a live blog of the application process. 98 days from application to oath ceremony. And even though I help many through the process nowadays as a community immigration lawyer, your first time is a fond memory that stays with you…  Lets wind the clock back to Day 1… more…

I took a break recently from working through the ILRC Immigration Law practice guides, so I could flatline. The result is a new online edition of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The work was done in 17 days, with time off for good behavior during the holidays. more…

Following on from Bill Hing’s presentation in the first meeting, the second Salon Saucedo discussion was led by Shiu Min Cheer of the NILC. She briefed us about DACA, and many issues relating to the Dreamers. There is so much I could say here about that, but it would just rehash what everyone else is saying. One thing I hadn’t known about was the recent  HHS regulation that seems to deny DACA beneficiaries access to the Affordable Care Act. My initial reaction was that the HHS in the Obama Administration isn’t going to act irrationally, and if they make such a regulation, then their hands must be tied. If the legislation has already said who is and who isn’t eligible – then an executive order by the president isn’t going to be able to change the law. So this blog entry peels away the layers of the ACA onion, and takes a closer look at the HHS intermin final rule. Turns out I was wrong.

more…

I dislike the term “rebellious lawyer.” Which is why I am categorizing these posts under “rascuache.” Rebellious suggests a spoiled child. He’ll get over it. Its just a phase he’s going through. Only, Bill Hing never got over it.

more…