Pearce loses bid to be party in immigration appeal

Sept. 22, 2010 07:08 AM
Associated Press

A court rejected a request by the author of Arizona's new immigration law to be a party in the state's appeal of a ruling that put parts of the law on hold.

Instead, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco says Sen. Russell Pearce's request should be treated as a friend-of-the-court brief.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was granted permission to make his views known through a friend-of-the-court filing. Arpaio didn't ask to become a party to the case.

The court will hear arguments on Nov. 1.

A judge blocked the law's most controversial portions, such as a requirement that police, while enforcing other laws, to question people's immigration status if there is a reasonable suspicion they're in the country illegally.

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