Thread: AZ Businesses, Chamber of Commerce, etc.--File New Lawsuit

New lawsuit filed in fight over employer sanctions law

Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.10.2007

"PHOENIX – Lawyers filed a second lawsuit challenging Arizona's new employer-sanctions law Sunday night, two days after a judge said the groups fighting the law sued the wrong government officials.

Attorneys for business groups named the state's 15 county attorneys in the latest lawsuit, something they failed to do the first time around.

In his ruling Friday night, U.S. District Judge Neil Wake said the first lawsuit was filed against the governor and state attorney general — who are given only investigatory authority under the law — and wasn't aimed at county prosecutors who actually have the power to enforce the restrictions.

Julie Pace, an attorney for the business groups, said Sunday the latest lawsuit contains the same arguments the first one did against the employer-sanctions law — that it's an unconstitutional attempt by the state to regulate immigration and that cracking down on hiring illegal immigrants is the sole responsibility of the federal government.

Pace said the latest lawsuit also includes evidence that business groups face imminent crackdowns. She said business groups believe county prosecutors already have illegal hiring complaints on file, and that requests will be made to the county attorneys to provide that information.

The judge had said in Friday's ruling that the business groups had no legal footing to make the challenge because they hadn't shown that they faced imminent crackdowns.

The plaintiffs are providing evidence including a declaration by an Arizona employer who states that he is knowingly hiring an undocumented worker and intends to do so after Jan. 1 and has been specifically threatened by the County Attorney that he is going to be prosecuted under the new law, Pace said Monday.

Promises by Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas — the chief prosecutor in the state's most populous county — to enforce the law applied to all people in his county and didn't single out the groups challenging the law, Wake ruled.

Pace said the business groups are optimistic about getting the law — which takes effect Jan. 1 — put on hold.

"If we can get him to the merits of our case, we're going to win," Pace said, "because so many parts of the law are unconstitutional. It's a pretty clear-cut case."

The Republican-majority Legislature and Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano approved the law this summer amid frustration over what backers of the restrictions said were weak federal efforts to confront illegal immigration.

The law was intended to lessen the economic incentive for immigrants to sneak across the border and curb Arizona's role as the busiest illegal gateway into the country. An estimated one in 10 workers in Arizona's economy are illegal immigrants.

Under the law, businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants could face a business license suspension lasting up to 10 days. Second-time violators would have their business licenses permanently revoked.
The law also requires businesses to use an otherwise voluntary federal database to verify the employment eligibility of new workers.

Critics of the law said it burdens employers and poisons Arizona's business climate.

Supporters said state punishments were needed because the federal government hasn't adequately enforced a federal law that already prohibits employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants."

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/related/215546.php

Okay, I do not know if this is true or not yet........But........

Someone on another site said that this case has now been reassigned---and will now be heard by a judge----who is the twin sister of Janet Ma????-----the head of La Raza!!!

I will let you know if I find out that this is true.

I am steaming right now!! I can't believe this.

Bren,


Business groups file new suit vs. sanctions law, Judge Mary Murguia will be presiding on the case
http://www.azcentral.com/business/artic ... s1211.html
Mary Murguia
<img src=http://www.alphaphi.org/about_us/images/Famous/MaryMurguia.jpg>

"Today's undocumented students are America's future leaders." -Janet Murguia-

<img src=http://z.about.com/d/civilliberty/1/0/J/3/-/-/murguia200x200.jpg>

If any justice arises from this situation without Mary Murguia being recused I will be very much surprised.

Richard

If any justice arises from this situation without Mary Murguia being recused I will be very much surprised.

The case was assigned Monday to U.S. District Judge Mary Murguia, a Clinton appointee who became the first Latina appointed to the federal bench in Arizona. Her twin sister, Janet, is president and chief executive officer of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic civil-rights group.

Outrageous!

I’d be screaming conflict of interest as far as the Judge is concerned. What happened to impartiality on the bench? Do they think they will get an impartial ruling from this Judge? They’d have a better chance if the case was heard in San Francisco.

Oh, this is just great!!! The case being heard by Marguila's twin. We all know where this is headed right before it starts.

No one is going to tell me that this case assignment was pure coincidence!!! If there was ever a more blatant example of a case being rigged, I don't know what is.

Somehow, I cannot imagine that the state of AZ is going to allow this to happen.

I don't think this will stand , it has "fix" written all over it.

Can't we the people do something about this nonsense? Can we write to someone, call show how we think its unfair?

OH MY GOD! Did I say they'd go Judge shopping or what? This is unbelievable

If this new judge rules in favor of the law (by far fetched chance) here own people, including her sister will be all over her as a traitor.

I can't believe this is happening. One day things looked so good and the next day they're just awful.