Arizona seeks dismissal of lawsuit over new law

By JACQUES BILLEAUD
June 23, 2010 6:08 pm

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's office has filed a motion to dismiss another lawsuit that seeks to overturn the state's new immigration law.

Brewer said Wednesday that legal papers filed by her defense team ask a federal judge to throw out the suit by Tucson police officer Martin Escobar.

Escobar's suit alleges the new immigration law violates numerous constitutional rights, could hinder police investigations in Hispanic-prevalent areas, and violates federal law because Tucson police and the city have no authority to perform immigration duties.

Brewer says Escobar "lacks standing to pursue his claims and has failed to establish any real and immediate threat of harm."

At least five legal challenges have been filed to the law since April. Brewer's office has filed motions to dismiss four of them in the past two weeks.

The law is scheduled to take effect July 29. It requires officers to question a person's immigration status if there's a reasonable suspicion that he or she is in the country illegally.

http://azstarnet.com/news/state-and-reg ... eaa78.html