Thread: Ariz. Immigration Law's Legal Costs Could Top $1 Million

Ariz. immigration law's legal costs could top $1 million

Enlarge By Ross D. Franklin, AP

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, right, and attorney representing the state John Bouma, talk at a news conference after a court hearing for a lawsuit brought against the SB1070 Arizona immigration law in front of U.S. District Court July 22 in Phoenix.

By Ginger Rough, The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX — Defending the state against lawsuits related to its tough new immigration law has cost more than $440,000 to date, and outstanding bills could easily add up to an excess of $1 million or more.
The bills so far cover work and charges incurred only through the end of June, which doesn't include any costs related to a U.S. Department of Justice suit filed in July.

"The fees incurred have been, and will continue to be, sizeable as the governor's counsel responds to the massive number of filings in these lawsuits and prepares her filings before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals," Paul Senseman, Gov. Jan Brewer's spokesman, said in an e-mail Thursday.


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The state law, portions of which took effect July 29, had been the subject of seven federal suits. One has been thrown out; another has been partially dismissed. A federal injunction has halted four parts of state Senate Bill 1070, and that is what the governor is appealing.

Money to pay for the state's legal costs is coming from Brewer's legal defense fund. So far she has authorized two expenditures: one for just over $77,000 to cover bills received for work in the last 11 days of May, and the second for $363,520.25 to cover the June legal charges.

The fund has received more than $3.6 million in donations to date, from 41,478 donors all across the country. A single donation in the amount of $1.5 million was received in the last two weeks from Timothy Mellon of Laramie, Wyo., Brewer's office said.

Public records show that Mellon is heir to a family banking fortune and is the chairman of Pan Am Systems, a privately-owned shipping and freight company based out of New Hampshire.

Mellon could not immediately be reached for comment.

Contributing: Alia Beard Rau, The Arizona Republic

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/201 ... Stories%29

Related

Donations to defend Ariz's immigration law top 3.6 MILLION
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-210977.html

It;s a drop in the bucket vs the billions taken by/given to illegal aliens and their anchors! I would rather spend my tax dollars to send illegal aliens and their minor children back to their own countries, increase boots on the ground and enforce immigration laws!

Increase the penalties on those who hire illegal aliens and use that money to enforce the law and deport more illegals.

YES WE CAN!