Constitutional Law

Coalition Announces Lawsuit Against Arizona Racial Profiling Law

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU

Arizona's new racial profiling law is under attack from all sides. It's not just the ACLU (and Shakira) who oppose SB1070. Former Bush strategist Karl Rove and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) have both called the law "unconstitutional." Janet Napolitano, the former governor of that state before she became Homeland Security Secretary, said at a hearing Tuesday that the Justice Department is looking into "whether the law meets constitutional safeguards or not."

Well, we're sure the law is unconstitutional, which is why today, the ACLU, Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) will announce that they are planning to file a lawsuit challenging SB1070.

The law's effective date is 90 days after the end of the current legislative session (which is still ongoing). Our litigation will be designed to prevent it from ever going into effect. Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon has said that he plans to file a lawsuit as well. It looks like Arizona state officials will have a busy summer.

Full post as published by Blog of Rights on April 29, 2010 (boomark / email).