An Arizona judge has just blocked key parts of the state's controversial immigration law. The law was passed in April and was set to go in effect Thursday.
United States District Court Judge Susan Bolton said that some aspects of the law will go into effect as planned, while others will be blocked. The sections that were blocked by Bolton called for officers to check a suspect's immigration status while enforcing other laws and for immigrants to carry their papers at all times.
Republican Governor Jan Brewer who signed the bill into law is expected to appeal and legal experts believe it will go all the way to the United States Supreme Court, according to the New York Times.
So far there have been seven lawsuits against the state's controversial immigration law, including one by the Justice Department. The Justice Department's lawyers argued against the law, saying that the Arizona law amounted to immigration regulation, which was under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Government.
Judge Bolton was suspicious of vague wording in the law, according to the New York Times. She was also concerned about suspects being held for unusually long periods of time while their immigration status was being determined. Bolton also questioned the police's authority to arrest someone without a warrant if they commit a deportable offense. Deciding whether someone will be deporting is usually up to a judge.
