I love this guy, Metro Councilman Eric Crafton, he is continually fighting for our rights not to provide interpreters, etc. and wants people who do business in Nashville to do it in ENGLISH only!! Now he is getting sued left and right none other than a citizen of El Salvador and legal immigrant given temporary asylum status because of conditions in her country. Wonder who is paying for her lawsuit??

Here is the article: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 8811200339

Lawsuit filed to prevent English-only election

By Janell Ross • THE TENNESSEAN • November 20, 2008


A vote to limit most Metro government services and publications to English only could be on hold again.

A lawsuit filed in Chancery Court late Wednesday against Metro and the Davidson County Election Commission claims that the English-only measure is unconstitutional and calls on the government to overstep the limits of its power.
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It also argues that Davidson County taxpayers — anyone who has contributed to its sales tax revenue — should not have to foot the bill for a special election where a single unconstitutional measure will appear on the ballot.

The suit seeks a restraining order barring the Election Commission from preparing for or holding the special election, now set for Jan. 22. Early voting is to begin Jan. 2.

Metro Councilman Eric Crafton — the driving force behind various efforts dating back to 2006 to bar local government from providing services in languages other than English — described the suit as unreasonable.

"They are trying to suppress democracy and suppress the people's right to govern themselves," said Crafton, " … Basically what this demonstrates to me is that they think they are going to lose if this goes to the voter."

Metro's legal department received a copy of the suit around 5 p.m. Wednesday. Today, department staff will review the suit and decide how to respond, said Sue Cain, Metro legal director.

The suit marks the second time in as many months that the English-only measure has gone before a Davidson County judge.

In September, Crafton and other supporters of the measure sued the Election Commission after it voted not to put it on the Nov. 4 ballot due to a conflict with the Metro Charter.

The suit filed Wednesday has been assigned to Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman, the judge who ruled that the measure could not legally appear on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The Davidson County resident behind the latest suit, Rosa Quinteros, is a citizen of El Salvador and legal immigrant given temporary asylum status because of conditions in her country. She speaks Spanish and has limited English proficiency.

"Speech in this country is free in foreign languages, too," said David Randolph Smith, Quinteros' attorney.

"Just because you have got 5,000 people willing to sign a petition to put this thing on the ballot doesn't mean it's legitimate. If you've got 5,000 citizens willing to say red-headed people can't vote, you can't put that on a ballot."

If the English-only measure were approved, Nashville would become the first major city to enact such a law.

Davidson County Election Administrator Ray Barrett said the special election will cost taxpayers about $300,000.

A broad coalition of groups and individuals have been working to develop a strategy to defeat the measure in the January election, said Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.