Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton and Judicial Watch client Arizona State Senate President Russell Pearce offered the following statements today regarding the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the constitutionality of Arizona’s “Legal Arizona Workers Act,” legislation crafted by Pearce to penalize Arizona businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens (Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting, et al.,(No. 09-115)). The decision also upholds the constitutionality of the provision requiring all Arizona employers to use the E-Verify system to confirm the eligibility of new employees.

“This Supreme Court decision was a tremendous victory for the rule of law. This decision will have an enormous impact on states across the country seeking to ease the burdens caused by rampant illegal immigration. State Senate President Pearce carefully crafted this legislation to be entirely consistent with federal law. And we are pleased the Supreme Court recognized once again the critical role states must play in enforcing our nation’s immigration laws. The Obama administration’s plan of lax illegal immigration enforcement, sanctuary policies and amnesty only serve to worsen the illegal immigration problem. The High Court rightly called the Obama administration’s legal arguments attacking Arizona’s commonsense statute ‘contrary to common sense’ and having ‘no basis in law, fact, or logic…’ It’s time to take the only approach that works: law enforcement,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.“I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision of May 26, 2011, upholding the Legal Arizona Workers Act. This legislation is based on a simple but powerful solution to the illegal immigration crisis: enforce the law. It would be ideal if the federal government would do its job and secure the border. However, in the absence of leadership in Washington, states like Arizona have a responsibility to protect their citizens and uphold the law. This decision ensures that scofflaw businesses that put profits over patriotism can and will be punished. At the same time it will encourage illegal aliens in search of employment in Arizona to look elsewhere,” said Arizona State Senate President Russell Pearce.On October 28, 2010, Judicial Watch filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief on behalf of Arizona State Senate President Russell Pearce with the United States Supreme Court. In writing his opinion in the recent Supreme Court ruling, Chief Justice Roberts echoed Judicial Watch’s principle argument: “Arizona has taken the route least likely to cause tension with federal law. It relies solely on the federal government’s own determination of who is an unauthorized alien, and it requires Arizona employers to use the federal government’s own system for checking employee status.”