The Supreme Court considers Arizona's immigration law

While all state preambles acknowledge God, only eight states directly or indirectly also name God in their state motto. Arizona is among the eight, as they declare “Ditat Deus,” or “God enriches.” This week, many of us will offer a special prayer that God will enrich Arizona and America with immigration reform that honors the rule of law and respects our Christian traditions in providing a sustainable solution that is not contradictory, but compassionate and comprehensive.




The faith community is one of many groups intensely interested in the intervention of the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments today regarding the “papers, please” Arizona law known as SB1070. The fact that the highest court will weigh in at this preliminary injunction stage implies several things. It seems clear that the members have been discussing the issue and are confident that they have a majority opinion to render. With Elena Kagan recusing herself, a 4-4 deadlock could result, but the justices surely would not waste their time if such an outcome were even remotely possible. Instead of their typical modus operandi of allowing lower court decisions to percolate for a time before asserting themselves, the justices seem bent on stemming the tide of similar laws from states tired of the federal government’s failure to address immigration reform. The fed’s suit against SB 1070 led to the 9th circuit blocking key provisions of the law, but the Supreme Court will now intervene and help decide for the nation whether this law—and others that mirror it—truly are usurpations of the federal government’s right to enforce immigration law.

The Supreme Court is considering the legality of Arizona's controversial immigration law. During arguments, the justices seemed to be in favor of upholding a key part of the law while a decision on other parts seems more difficult.