Arizona sanctions law upheld on the merits, plaintiffs to appeal

Upholding the merits of Arizona’s employer sanctions law, which suspends and revokes the business licenses of employers that intentionally or knowingly employ workers who are unauthorized to work in the United States, US District Court Judge Neil V. Wake of the District Court of Arizona denied a coalition of business groups and immigration rights advocates (plaintiffs) motion to permanently bar the Legal Arizona Workers Act (H.B. 2779). In his February 7, 2008, decision, Wake held that the Act’s licensing sanctions did not “make employers conform to a stricter standard of conduct than federal law.â€