Gonzalez v. Arizona

On November 29. 2006, the Brennan Center filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Gonzalez v. Arizona challenging Proposition 200’s provisions that require applicants to present documentary proof of citizenship as a condition for voter registration. In its amicus brief, the Brennan Center argued that Arizona’s interest in preventing voting by non-citizens does not justify disenfranchising thousands of voters by imposing the burdens of documentary proof of citizenship required by Proposition 200. The Brennan Center’s brief cites evidence of substantial populations—as many as millions of Americans—who don’t have ready access to the documentation required and evidence that voting by non-citizens is a rare and isolated occurrence. Additionally, the brief notes the determinations of Congress and 48 other states that provisions like Proposition 200’s documentation requirement are unnecessary and unreasonable.

All legal documents related to the case can be found here.