in_the_media
Immigration law upheld in Alabama
Posted Sep 29, 2011
Media Outlet:
New York Times, Los Angeles Times
A federal judge on Wednesday upheld most of the sections of Alabama’s far-reaching immigration law. The judge upheld a section that requires state and local law enforcement officials to try to verify a person’s immigration status during routine traffic stops or arrests, if "a reasonable suspicion" exists that the person is in the country illegally. Peter J. Spiro, a professor at Temple's Beasley School of Law, said: "This decision really gives the anti-immigration folks more of a victory than they've been getting in other courts. There's a lot for them to be happy about." Still, he added, "this is not the last word on the constitutionality of this statute."