There can be disturbing consequences for entering an appearance in a politically-charged lawsuit. Just filing a challenge to an ordinance aimed at curbing illegal immigration in a Dallas suburb meant Nina Perales got the kind of telephone calls no one ever wants to receive.
“During the course of this litigation there were death threats. There were death threats to me, and death threats to my boss. And you know, people would leave messages on our phone saying there was going to be a race war. We knew that our clients were under a lot of stress,” say Perales of Reyes, et al. v. City of Farmers Branch. “The case became very charged around American identity in immigration.”
