The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
The Supreme Court of the United States is open to the public, but not many people get the opportunity to actually hear live oral arguments. At the end of each week, the nation’s highest court posts the recordings of the most recent arguments. And this week, the recordings include Arizona's defense of its employer sanctions law.
Listen:
On December 7, 2010, the justices listened to arguments regarding the law, which punishes companies for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants by suspending or revoking their business licenses and requires Arizona employers to check their new hires' Social Security numbers using an electronic system.
When that law was passed nearly three years ago, it was regarded as the toughest illegal immigration law in the nation. Businesses at the time opposed it, saying it put an undue burden on them. However, since then only a handful of companies have been prosecuted under the law. The law was signed by then-Governor Janet Napolitano.
The legal challenge is based on the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which says federal law trumps state law. Those opposed to the law say employer sanction laws belong in the jurisdiction of the federal government, and not that of any individual state. That is the same argument that the federal government is using in its challenge of Senate Bill 1070.
Arizona Public Media’s story on the Supreme Court arguments:
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