Newswise — Michael Dorf, former Supreme Court clerk for Anthony Kennedy and Cornell professor of law:
“Today's ruling in the Arizona case reaffirms the primacy of the federal government in matters touching on immigration and foreign affairs. Justice Kennedy's majority opinion is a strong statement that states may not conduct their own immigration policy, absent a clear invitation from Congress. There was no such invitation here.”
Stephen Yale-Loehr, Cornell law professor and immigration scholar:
“The Court correctly held that federal immigration law trumps most of Arizona’s controversial immigration law. But by upholding Arizona’s ‘check your papers’ provision, at least for now, the Court has given other states a green light to try to enact similar immigration laws. Some will be anti-immigrant, like Arizona’s. But other new state laws may be pro-immigrant, as states realize the importance of immigrants in their communities.
“The decision increases pressure on Congress to enact comprehensive immigration law to prevent a crazy patchwork of conflicting immigration laws around the country.”
The Supreme Court’s decision is at http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-182b5e1.pdf
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