SB 1070 AND THE SUPREME COURT

posted by Michael Chihak

SB 1070 author Russell Pearce will appear on Friday's Arizona Week to discuss the origins of and political fighting over SB 1070, Arizona's controversial immigration legislation.

Pearce, who was a member of the Arizona Senate when he wrote the legislation and pushed it through in 2010, has agreed to an interview as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on SB 1070's constitutionality.

Much of the legislation was put on hold in U.S. District Court, and that was upheld in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, leading to the state of Arizona's appeal to the Supreme Court. The court hearing will be April 25.

Also scheduled to appear on the program will be two law professors, the University of Arizona's Toni Massaro and Arizona State University's Carissa Byrne Hessick, who along with other colleagues wrote a lengthy discussion paper on SB 1070.

The paper, "A Legal Labyrinth: Issues Raised by Arizona Senate Bill 1070," dips deeply into the legal and constitutional roots of the arguments for and against the legislation. It includes analysis of the law under federal and state legislation and federal and state case law.

We also are seeking an interview with U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat who serves as protagonist in opposition to the legislation.