Thread: Lawmaker Who Wrote Ariz Immig. Law Intervenes in Fed Lawsuit

Lawmaker Who Wrote Arizona Immigration Law Intervenes in Obama Administration Lawsuit

Friday, July 23, 2010
By Fred Lucas, Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) – The author of the Arizona immigration law filed a court motion to stop the federal government’s effort to prevent the law from going into effect on July 29.

In April, Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill to codify federal immigration law into state law. However, the Obama administration filed a lawsuit on July 6 calling the law unconstitutional, contending that only the federal government can enforce immigration rules.

That’s not the case, said Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce, author of the law and chairman of the appropriations committee.

“As I’ve said all along, SB 1070 makes no new immigration law, it simply enforces the laws already on the books,â€

Pearce’s move to stop the injunction, filed Tuesday by the government watchdog group Judicial Watch, which is representing him in the matter, states there is already precedent to allow localities to enforce federal law.

[quote]Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton called this case, “the most important piece of litigation that Judicial Watch has undertaken in its 16 year history.â€