Judge lets employer-sanctions law stand
Takes effect Jan. 1 after judge says no to business groups groups
Howard Fischer

PHOENIX — Arizona’s new employer-sanctions law will take effect as scheduled Jan. 1.

On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Neil Wake rejected a request by business groups and others to bar the state from enforcing the law before a final ruling on its constitutionality.

And just hours later, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused an emergency request to second-guess Wake and keep the law from being enforced.

That leaves those challenging the law without legal options until at least Jan. 16, when Wake will hear arguments on whether it is constitutional.

The law makes it illegal to knowingly hire undocumented workers. Offenders could find all their state licenses to do business suspended or revoked.
In his decision Friday, Wake had to decide who would be hurt more if he let the law take effect or kept it from being enforced. The judge said he easily concluded the greater harm would be to the state and, in particular, legal Arizona residents.

“Those who suffer the most from unauthorized alien labor are those whom federal and Arizona law most explicitly protect,â€