AG to Town: English-only Law is Illegal

The controversy started early in 2010. A long-time town councilman urged his fellow board members to pass a law making English the official language of town business. Councilman Roger Meyer had high hopes that the idea would spread. "And leapfrog from here to there. Across the state and maybe even across the country." It didn't make it across the state, but nearby Easton and Argyle passed similar measures, all over the objections of the New York Civil Liberties Union, who said English-only laws violate the Constitution. The NYCLU urged Jackson to rescind its law. "When they dragged their feet about it, we did then turn to the Attorney General's office," says Melanie Trimble of the NYCLU.