Donors from Georgia, other states fuel Arizona legal battle over illegal immigration By Jeremy Redmon and John Perry


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Opponents of legislation targeting illegal immigration in Georgia say the state will face costly court challenges if it passes the bills, just like Arizona has since Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed the nation's toughest such law in April.

But Arizona has not spent taxpayer money defending its law in court, said Joseph Kanefield, Brewer’s general counsel. Arizona has instead funded its legal defense with private donations. As of Feb. 23, 43,437 donors from all 50 states have donated $3.7 million to the cause, according to Brewer's office. Of that amount, $1.5 million has been paid to a private law firm that is representing the state in court.

“There hasn’t been any taxpayer money spent to defend the law even though private counsel is largely doing the heavy lifting,â€