When are we going to get a judge that Is not a political left wing hack ? Atlanta Business Chronicle - by Dave Williams , Staff Writer
Date: Monday, June 20, 2011, 12:27pm EDT An openly skeptical federal judge Monday grilled a lawyer for the state of Georgia at a hearing in a lawsuit challenging the immigration reform bill passed by the General Assembly.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash questioned the state’s purpose in enacting the legislation, whether a state can legally assert its authority over what traditionally has been a federal issue and how Georgians -- legal and illegal -- would be affected if the law is allowed to take effect July 1.

The bill, passed by the legislature in April and signed by Gov. Nathan Deal last month, authorizes local law enforcement officers to investigate the immigration status of people they suspect have committed a crime, including the right to demand a valid form of identification.

A coalition of civil rights groups is requesting a preliminary injunction to prohibit the law from taking effect while their underlying lawsuit makes its way through the court system.

The state is seeking dismissal of that request, which would let the legislation become law as scheduled.

During Monday’s hearing, Senior Assistant Attorney General Devon Orland said the law’s purpose is to save millions of taxpayer dollars the state is being forced to spend on health care for illegal immigrants who get sick and on jails for those who commit crimes.

She also argued that the new state law, rather than pre-empting federal law, will empower the state and local police agencies to help enforce immigration laws.

“The federal government cannot be everywhere,â€