U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups in Salt Lake City issued a temporary restraining order of HB 497, 24 hours after the law took effect. The law required law enforcement officers to demand evidence of citizenship or immigration status from those they arrest for felonies or serious misdemeanors.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by numerous plaintiffs including the National Immigration Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Utah that challenged the law.
Judge Waddoups has scheduled a hearing for July 14 during which both sides are expected to argue the constitutionality of the law is constitutional.
Court blocks Utah immigration law
Law would have required state’s law enforcement to ask for proof of citizenship