News & Press Releases

Articles published by Law360 and MassLive reported that Mintz, together with the ACLU of Massachusetts and the ACLU of New Hampshire, achieved a groundbreaking victory for immigrants’ rights when Chief U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris ruled that the government’s practice of detaining certain immigrants by default violates both due process and the Administrative Procedure Act.

The first-of-its-kind class action lawsuit, Pereira Brito v. Barr, was filed in June on behalf of immigrants who were jailed due to flawed detention hearings in which the detainee was required to bear the burden of proof as to not being a flight risk or a danger to the community. The latest ruling holds that the class of immigrants are entitled to bond hearings at which the government bears the burden of justifying an immigrant’s detention, and at which the immigration court must consider someone’s ability to pay when setting a bond amount.

The Mintz pro bono team representing the plaintiffs in this case includes Members Susan Finegan and Susan Cohen, Special Counsel Andrew Nathanson, and Associates Mathilda McGee-Tubb, Jennifer Mather McCarthy, and Ryan Dougherty.

Mintz Member and Chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee Susan M. Finegan was profiled in Corporate Counsel’s December issue—a special report featuring the winners of the publication’s 2019 Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards, which honored attorneys who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in law.

Ms. Finegan was recognized as a law firm honoree in the Collaborative Leadership Category for her outstanding work leading Mintz’s pro bono program and for her partnership efforts with advocacy organizations in the legal community.

In the Q&A, Ms. Finegan discussed her career path, shared leadership advice, and addressed her drive to find legal solutions for her most vulnerable clients.

An article published by Law360 reported that Mintz successfully defended the Wychmere Beach Club, a small Massachusetts resort property, in a lawsuit brought by the Conservation Law Foundation alleging that the Beach Club’s wastewater treatment facility needs a federal permit under the Clean Water Act in addition to the state permit it already has under the Massachusetts Clean Waters Act because the treated effluent from the wastewater treatment facility percolates through soil to groundwater that is connected to Wychmere Harbor. In the ruling, U.S. District Judge William Young agreed that the Beach Club’s discharges were not covered by the federal law.

The Mintz team representing the Wychmere Beach Club includes Mintz Member and Chair of the firm's Environmental Law Practice Jeffrey R. Porter, and Co-Chairs of the firm's Appellate Practice Andrew N. Nathanson (Special Counsel) and Emily Kanstroom Musgrave (Member).

Mintz Member Jason P.W. Halperin and Associate Amanda B. Asaro co-authored an article published by the New York Law Journal examining the significance of the New York Court of Appeals’  opinion in People v. Neulander, which issues a direct warning shot at jurors. Specifically, juror conduct as it relates to social media and digital communication usage.