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Governor Jan Brewer is delusional
June 25, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The United States Supreme Court this morning held that most of SB 1070, the anti-immigrant law that Governor Jan Brewer rode to victory in 2010, is preempted by federal law and the surviving "papers please" provision must be construed narrowly and is subject to future constitutional challenges. An ass-whooping, right?
Governor Jan Brewer declared victory. The woman is totally delusional. Statement of Governor Jan Brewer: U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Heart of SB 1070 (.pdf):
“Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is a victory for the rule of law. It is also a victory for the 10th Amendment and all Americans who believe in the inherent right and responsibility of states to defend their citizens. After more than two years of legal challenges, the heart of SB 1070 can now be implemented in accordance with the U.S. Constitution.
“While we are grateful for this legal victory, today is an opportunity to reflect on our journey and focus upon the true task ahead: the implementation and enforcement of this law in an even-handed manner that lives up to our highest ideals as American citizens. I know the State of Arizona and its law enforcement officers are up to the task. The case for SB 1070 has always been about our support for the rule of law. That means every law, including those against both illegal immigration and racial profiling. Law enforcement will be held accountable should this statute be misused in a fashion that violates an individual’s civil rights.
SCOTUS Watch: Most of SB 1070 is preempted by federal law
June 25, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Did you hear a low rumbling sound this morning around 7:16 a.m. (Arizona time)? That was the sound of the head of every anti-immigrant bigot exploding as the Court announced that most of SB 1070 is preempted by federal law, and the surviving part must be read narrowly and is subject to future constitutional challenges. This is a major victory for the Obama administration, it got almost everything it wanted from the Court.
Monday was the last day the Court was scheduled to release opinions, but it has scheduled Thursday for announcing its remaining opinions this term. The Affordable Care Act will be Thursday.
Here is a quick recap of the opinions announced today. Amy Howe from SCOTUSblog summarizes the cases, followed by a link to today's opinions. The remaining merits cases as of June 23: In Plain English:
Argued April 25, 2012
Plain English Issue: Whether an Arizona law that, among other things, requires police officers to check the immigration status of anyone whom they arrest, allows police to stop and arrest anyone whom they believe to be an illegal immigrant, makes it a crime for someone to be in the state without valid immigration papers, and makes it a crime to apply for or hold a job in Arizona without proper papers, is invalid because it is trumped by federal immigration laws.
The Ninth Circuit is reversed in part and affirmed in part. Justice Kagan did not participate. Justice Kennedy wrote the majority opinion. 5-3 decision. The opinion in Arizona v. US is here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-182b5e1.pdf
The Court rules that Section 3, 5, and 6 are preempted by federal law. Most of the key provisions of SB1070 (3 of 4) are invalidated. Only one provision is held not to be proved preempted.
It was improper for the lower courts to enjoin Section 2(B), which requires police officers to check the legal status of anyone arrested for any crime before they can be released. There are ongoing proceedings on Section 2(B) and whether it involves racial profiling. That issue was NOT before the Court today.
The provision that the Court says is not yet preempted is the "papers please" provision that commands officers to check immigration status. The Court says that it is not clear whether application of this provision will interfere with immigration law.
The upshot of the SB1070 ruling is that, for now, Arizona can apply its "papers please" provision. The Court's opinion is a guide to the State on how to apply that provision without being invalidated.
The opinion also says that today's ruling does not foreclose other preemption and constitutional challenges to the law. The Court's decision on the "papers please" provision strongly suggests it will have to be read narrowly to survive.
Justice Scalia would uphold the Arizona statute in toto. As part of Scalia's statement in dissent, he commented on the president's announcement about suspending deportation of illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children — something that was not part of the case. This is totally out of bounds on SCOTUS. Scalia is a rogue Justice.
I will have more on the opinion when I have had the chance to read it, and I would like to check commentary from other legal writers.
SCOTUS gives split decision on SB1070: UPDATE on Tucson protest
June 25, 2012
by Pamela Powers Hannley The US Supreme Court issued their long-awaited decision Arizona's infamous SB1070. They struct down several parts of the "papers please" law, but kept the "papers please" part. From the Huffington Post… WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a split decision in the Obama administration's challenge to Arizona's aggressive immigration … Read more
Jobs with Justice urges Tucsonans to stand with postal workers on hunger strike (video)
June 24, 2012
by Pamela Powers Hannley
A contingent of US Postal Service workers and supporters will go on a hunger strike beginning tomorrow, June 25, in Washington DC, to protest post office closures.
Many post offices and mail processing stations nationwide have been slated for elimination and colsolidation, including Tucson's Cherrybell mail processing station.
Tucsonans came out in force to protest closure last fall when USPS representatives came to town to explain why it makes sense to ship Tucson's mail to Phoenix and then ship it back to Tucson for delivery. Despite strong protests– last fall and again on tax day— the federal government still wants to close Cherrybell.
Tucson's Jobs with Justice is holding a demonstration and press conference featuring union leaders and Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias on Monday morning. Here's the info…
Tucson's Jobs with Justice Coalition urges solidarity with postal workers. Help us save local jobs and keep our postal services locally.
Demonstration and Press Conference TO SAVE OUR POSTAL SERVICE AND JOBS!
Monday, June 25
Demonstration: 7:00 to 9:00 AM
Press Conference: 8:30 AM
Both events in front of the American Postal Workers Union office, 2937 E. 22nd Street, (just west of Country Club).
Connie Sadler-Nelson, American Postal Workers Union Local President, and County Supervisor Richard Elias will speak to the press.
Tucson is facing the closure of our Cherrybell Main Post Office. Congress is trying to kill the entire postal service, bust the unions, and eventually privatize the postal system.
Postal workers and community supporters will hold a Hunger Strike in Washington, DC from June 25 through the 28th to save the postal service.
Demonstrate your support for postal unions, Cherrybell Post Office, jobs and US postal service.
Refreshments will be provided: bagels, juice, coffee, cold water.
Watch the videos after the jump…
Thousands protest Arpaio’s Tent City Jail
June 24, 2012
by Pamela Powers Hannley As anticipated, 1000s of protesters from the Unitarian Universalist Church, the United Church of Christ, Puente Arizona, and other groups descended upon Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Tent City Jail last night. Here is a news round up for the event, since it was not covered by southern Arizona news outlets. … Read more
The Arizona Republic and the Arizona Daily Star exploit Brian Terry by waiving the bloody shirt to manufacture a scandal
June 24, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
"A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic." – frequently attributed to Joseph Stalin.
It is also the modus operandi of the modern news media. When a catastrophe occurs, e.g., the killer earthquake and tsunami in Samoa in 2009, the killer earthquake in Haiti in 2010, and the the killer earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011, it will merit intense news coverage for a few weeks, maybe even a few months, before the news media deems its "newsworthiness" at an end and moves on to more important news stories, like royal weddings and the latest Lindsey Lohan scandal.
But the media loves to fixate on an individual tragedy. Nancy Grace at CNN Headline News makes a perverse living from such ghoulishness. Two recent examples in the media include Trevon Martin and Border Agent Brian Terry, both of whom have been politicized by the media. It is not enough that their families have lost a son to violent crime; the media has to victimize the family a second time by politicizing their death to manufacture a scandal that sells newspapers or to fill dead air time on the cable networks.
Both The Arizona Republic and the Arizona Daily Star on Sunday published editorial opinions shamelessly waving the bloody shirt of Border Agent Brian Terry, decrying documents held secret by the Department of Justice, and President Obama's assertion of executive privilege after the House Oversight Committee took the extraordinary step of recommending an order of contempt for Attorney General Eric Holder.
Both the Arizona Republic and Arizona Daily Star irresponsibly engage in wild speculation. The Republic asserts "what we do not know about this gun-running sting operation is astonishing." Really? The lie is exposed when the editors of the Arizona Daily Star take the exact opposite position: "The story of how the Phoenix office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives lost rack of 2,500 weapons is well-known. it is difficult to imagine what element of surprise or stealth remains for law enforcement to protect. The lid was blown long ago on Fast and Furious."
These provacateurs of manufactured scandal cannot even keep their story straight.
The Arizona Daily Star irresponsibly engages in wild speculation when it asserts "It opens the door to speculation that — as the old saying goes — the cover-up is worse than the crime." (Immediately followed by an admission that "We don't know of any evidence that Holder tried to cover up the indefensible actions of the ATF" — but we just wanted to throw that out there).
Citizens Clean Elections Primary Debate Schedule (Updated)
June 24, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
There are fewer Citizens Clean Elections candidates this year due to the loss of matching funds in this post-Citizens United era. Most candidates are running traditional. Nevertheless, where there are Citizens Clean Elections candidates running in the primary, there will be Citizens Clean Elections debates.
Here is the current schedule of Candidate Debates for state legislative races (subject to change):
District 9
June 25, 2012
House of Representatives Democrats
6:00 p.m.
Pima Community College Downtown Campus
1255 N. Stone Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85709
District 16
June 26, 2012
Senate Republicans
House of Representatives Republicans
6:30 p.m.
Arizona State University East Campus
Cooley Ballroom B
7001 E. Williams Field Road
Mesa, AZ 85212
District 15
June 27, 2012
House of Representatives Republicans
6:00 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn
1940 W. Pinnacle Peak (at 19th Avenue)
Phoenix, AZ
District 24
June 27, 2012
Senate Republicans
House of Representatives Democrats
6:30 p.m.
Arizona State University Downtown Campus
AE England Building @ Civic Space Park
424 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 58004
District 12
June 28, 2012
House of Representatives Republicans
6:00 p.m.
Hyatt Place Phoenix/Gilbert
3275 S. Market Street
Gilbert, AZ 85297
Tucson City Council votes to abolish corporate personhood
June 24, 2012
by Pamela Powers Hannley The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United and proclaimed that corporations are people, they have the right to free speech, and, by the way, money equals speech. That was January 2010, and the country has not been the same since. The 2010 elections were awash with secret, private … Read more
