Supreme Court upholds Arizona employer sanctions law

By a 5-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld an Arizona law that penalizes businesses for hiring illegal immigrants. The Arizona law (Legal Arizona Workers Act) requires companies to use the federal E-verify program in order to obtain a business license. Companies that knowingly who hire illegal workers can have their licenses revoked or suspended.
“Arizona’s employer sanctions law allows the vast majority of businesses that want to play by the rules to comply with federal and state laws against hiring illegal aliens, and seeks to punish those employers who take advantage of the federal government’s immigration failures,” said Ariz. Governor Jan Brewer. “One result of the Legal Arizona Workers Act: Arizona employers now lead the nation in the use of the federal E-Verify system for determining the legal status of new employees.”