Court to hear challenge to employer sanctions law

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from business and civil rights groups trying to overturn a 2007 Arizona law that prohibits employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

Julie Pace, a lawyer representing the business groups, says the object of the challenge is to stop states from creating differing immigration laws that make it cumbersome for businesses that operate in multiple states.

The Arizona Attorney General's Office is defending the law and didn't have an immediate comment Monday.

The employer sanctions law is separate from a new Arizona immigration law that requires police to question the immigration status of people they suspect are in the country illegally. The court's next term begins in October.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/6/230403