AP – Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, middle, talks as Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, right, and state Sen. Russell
Arizona officials would like the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in sooner rather than later on a trial judge’s decision to put the most controversial parts of the state’s immigration enforcement law on hold.
Gov. Jan Brewer, Attorney General Tom Horne and Senate President Russell Pearce said Monday the decision to skip a possible second appeal to an intermediate appellate court could save time in resolving the case.
“It seems like this is a big enough national issue that it will ultimately be determined by the United States Supreme Court,” Horne said.
The planned appeal to the high court comes after Brewer lost an initial appeal April 11. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reverse a lower court’s order that prevented key parts of the law from being enforced.
While Brewer said she is confident Arizona will prevail, several legal experts said the Supreme Court might be reluctant to take up the case at this relatively early stage.
“This is a hot potato that it doesn’t have to grab hold of at this point,” said Peter Spiro, a Tempe University law professor who specializes in immigration law.
University of Arizona law professor Gabriel “Jack” Chin said the justices likely will refuse to grant Arizona’s request to review the trial judge’s injunction unless the federal government urges it to do so.
Absent that, “the normal resolution of a case like this is that they would wait,” Chin said.
Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler declined to comment on the Arizona announcement.
Gov. Jan Brewer has signed a bill meant to prevent labor unions from using members’ dues for political activities.
The bill, SB 1365 prohibits any employer – whether a private business or a governmental entity – from taking money from employees’ paychecks to use for political purposes, unless authorized by the employee. Employees must provide annual authorization for such deductions under the bill.
The Obama administration has asked a judge in Arizona to dismiss a lawsuit by the state that argues that the federal government has fallen down on the job securing the border with Mexico.
Arizona, led by Republican Governor Jan Brewer, has been in a pitched legal and political battle with Democratic President Barack Obama over efforts to crack down on the flow of weapons, drugs and people across the southwest border.
The state in February sued the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security for allegedly failing to enforce federal immigration laws or gain control of the American border with Mexico and sought to compel enforcement.
The Obama administration late on Tuesday issued its 35-page response to the lawsuit, denying the allegations in Arizona’s suit and saying the state was trying to recast an earlier fight over its a strict law cracking down on illegal immigration that has since been put on hold.
Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed legislation designed to shield people from being disciplined professionally because of their religious views, at least in part over the issue of polygamy.
The governor, in her first veto of the session, said she does not believe people should have to choose between their religious beliefs and their professions. And she recognizes SB 1288 has provisions which do not immunize criminal activities or sexual misconduct based on someone’s beliefs.
But she said there are still too many loopholes.
A defiant Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer told Southeast Valley business and political leaders Wednesday that she would press her campaign against “an over-reaching federal government” until the feds back off.
Brewer also struck a strong anti-union note as she defended her economic development strategies while pushing reform in education and government.
Those four policies, she said, are the cornerstones of her vision for a prosperous Arizona.
She spoke to about 300 people Wednesday morning at Mesa Community College in a meeting sponsored by the East Valley Chamber of Commerce Alliance and the East Valley Partnership.
“The United States has a federal government, not a national government,” she said. “For the next four years, Arizona will continue to pursue a policy of renewed federalism. . . . Never during our nearly 100 years of statehood has federal interference in . . . Arizona affairs . . . been more blatant than in 2010.”
Gov. Jan Brewer touts bill to reduce business taxes, create jobs
Gov. Jan Brewer and lawmakers unveiled a wide-ranging package of tax cuts and incentives on Monday that they believe will usher in a new era of economic prosperity.
Using Arizona’s 99th birthday as a platform, they said a special legislative session this week will map a new course for Arizona’s economy: one that relies more on high-paying, skilled jobs and less on the boom-and-bust cycle of housing growth.
“This is the most historic piece of legislation to be heard by the Legislature in decades,” Brewer said at a news conference.
The wide-ranging Senate Bill 1001 is filled with tax breaks and incentives for businesses large and small. The legislative budget office estimated its cost at $538 million by 2018, when all the tax cuts are phased in. Brewer’s office offered a lower tab, about $400 million.
The proposal comes as Arizona faces its fourth straight year of budget deficits. This year’s gap is estimated at $763 million and a $1.15 billion deficit in fiscal 2012, according to Brewer’s office.
Incredibly, the White House has sided with a foreign power against a state that it is invading and colonizing, rendering the contract between the federal government and the states null and void – yet there has been no move to impeach our treasonous rogue president. But at least Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is putting up a fight in the courts:
Gov. Jan Brewer sued the federal government Thursday for failing to control Arizona’s border with Mexico and enforce immigration laws, and for sticking the state with huge costs associated with jailing illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
The lawsuit claims the federal government has failed to protect Arizona from an “invasion” of illegal immigrants.
What’s with the sneer quotes? You would have to be more clueless than Bureau of Land Management bureauweenies not to know that Arizona has been subjected to an invasion.
Just south of Phoenix, via Great Satan, Inc.
The State of Arizona filed suit against the federal government Thursday, saying that authorities have failed to secure the border.
The state’s counterclaim alleges five failings by federal authorities:
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Failure to gain “operational control of the border,” as required under the Secure Fence Act of 2006
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Failure to protect against “invasion”
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Not enforcing immigration laws
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Not reimbursing Arizona for more than $760 million in combined costs for the incarcerating illegal aliens
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Violating the 10th Amendment by not allowing Arizona to enforce immigration laws
Read the whole story at the Tucson Sentinel.
This year proved to be perhaps, the most turbulent and important for the issue of illegal immigration. As in any fight, there were defeats and victories, and the fight to defend our border and enforce our immigration laws continues.
Also, as in any struggle, heroes emerge. Most of these folks are quite well known, they are politicians, sheriffs, broadcasters and researchers?but all are committed to defending this country.
What follows are this columnist’s heroes for 2010:
-Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu has publicly confronted President Obama on multiple occasions over his refusal to defend our border and protect Americans from dangerous drug and human smugglers.
In June, Sheriff Babeu held a press conference in which he announced that Mexican drug cartels now control not only parts of his county, but much of southern Arizona. He said: “We are outgunned, we are out manned and we don’t have the resources here locally to fight this.”
Pinal County deputies have photographed armed smugglers loading drugs into vehicles on Highway 8. The area, which was once a favorite with hikers and off-roaders is now dotted with signs warning the public of the dangers posed by drug and human smugglers.
Julian Assange, Snooki, LeBron James, Mel Gibson… Jan Brewer?
Jan Brewer has made it pretty big since signing Senate Bill 1070 into law in April.
The immigration law took Brewer from obscure Arizona career politician to right-wing team captain on illegal immigration. She gets to spar with Barack Obama on immigration, gets face time on Fox News and won reelection because of those four digits.
SB 1070 has also put her on the Onion’s list of the 20 “People who mattered in 2010.”
