Arizona immigration law to be reviewed by Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court announced on Monday it will take a look at Arizona’s controversial new immigration law and decide whether it can take effect, Reuters reported.

The Arizona law requires police to check the immigration status of anyone they detained or suspected of being in the United States illegally, and also requires that immigrants carry their papers at all times. The Supreme Court will review a ruling that put on hold key parts of the law signed by Republican Governor Jan Brewer in April 2010, Reuters reported.

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The highly publicized law sparked national chatter, especially as immigration remains a key debate in the upcoming presidential election. President Barack Obama has asked the Supreme Court to stay out of the issue and argued it should let lower court judges examine the law’s constitutionality first, USA Today reported. But Supreme Court justices will decide whether lower federal court judges have sufficient grounds to block enforcement. Justice Elena Kagan, formerly the president’s former solicitor general, said she would sit out the case, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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The Obama administration did challenge parts of the law in court, saying it could not be reconciled with federal immigration laws and policies, The New York Times reported. The requirement that Arizona police must determine the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest was one of the most prominent provisions targeted.

The law, known as SB 1070, was passed by Arizona lawmakers who said they were frustrated by “the federal government’s failure to enforce the immigration laws,” the LA Times reported.

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