JACKSON, N.Y., May 13 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union says it has asked Jackson, N.Y., to rescind an ordinance requiring all town business to be conducted in English.
The law prohibits constitutionally protected speech and discriminates against people with limited English skills, ACLU spokeswoman Melanie Trimble told The New York Times in a story published Thursday.
Town leaders passed the ordinance two months ago and the nearby town of Argyle, N.Y., since has passed a similar resolution. The town of Easton, N.Y., also is considering such a measure, the Times reported.
Roger Meyer, 76, a Jackson Town Council member, said he proposed the ordinance to encourage the federal government to make English the official language of the United States.
"We have records going back to 1816, and they've never been written in anything but English," Meyer told the Times. "This law isn't changing anything. It's just making it official that we're going to do what we've been doing for 190 years."
