Supreme Court Rules on Arizona Immigration Laws; Police Authority Reduced, But Papers Check Remains

Police officers in Arizona are allowed to check the immigration status of every person who is stopped or arrested, the Supreme Court ruled this morning. But the court struck down other key parts of the law, signaling a victory for the federal government in its authority over immigration law.

The controversial immigration measure passed in Arizona two years ago and has been opposed by President Obama.

Stephen Vladeck, of American University Washington College of Law, said the ruling was a victory for the federal government.

"Today's decision is a sweeping victory for the federal government because it strikes down three of the four key provisions of SB 1070 and leaves the fourth on life support," he said. "In effect, Arizona had sought to make it state policy that being undocumented is itself illegal. Today, the Supreme Court not only rejected that view, but in the process likely put the brakes on a series of analogous efforts underway in other states across the country. Reasonable people may disagree about the right answers to immigration policy. What today's decision makes clear is that this is a debate for Congress, not for 50 different state legislatures."

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the policy could interfere with federal immigration law, but that the court couldn't assume that it would.

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