Aftermath of the SB 1070 ruling
The last goes into effect today—or at least what’s left of it.
From the Republic this a.m.:
Leading up to 12:01 this morning, when the law took effect:
• Police struggled to figure out how they should enforce portions of Senate Bill 1070 that were not blocked by Bolton’s ruling in favor of the U.S. Department of Justice.
• Gov. Jan Brewer and her attorneys debated whether to fight the preliminary injunction before deciding to appeal amid speculation that the case may wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Demonstrators for and against the statute discussed whether to proceed with statewide protests, including plans for civil disobedience.
• Illegal immigrants, many of them hunkered down or contemplating an exodus from the state, remained in limbo.
• And everyone awaited further rulings from Bolton, who has yet to deal with motions in six additional lawsuits filed against SB 1070 by the ACLU, other activist groups and police officers.
There’s a recipe for chaos!
The federal judge who ruled on Arizona’s tragic, noxious new immigration law on Wednesday did not stop all of it from taking effect Thursday, but she preliminarily halted the worst of it. And although appeals are certain, Judge Susan Bolton offered clear and well-reasoned arguments affirming the federal government’s final authority over immigration enforcement. We hope this is the beginning of the end of the misbegotten Arizona rules and what they represent.