Dean Johnson Comments on Ninth Circuit Immigration Law Decision for Lawyers.com
Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented for Lawyers.com on a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decision regarding Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB 1070. Recently, the Ninth Circuit upheld a federal court injunction on parts of SB 1070 targeting "traffic obstructions" caused by day laborers seeking work on the basis that the law violated workers' First Amendment right to commercial speech.
Dean Johnson pointed out that the temporary injunction does not settle the issue and that Arizona could seek review in the U.S. Supreme Court. SB 1070, together with similar laws passed by other states, may be helping to spur the federal government toward comprehensive immigration reform, he said.
"The pressure from the states has contributed to the congressional decision to return to discussing comprehensive immigration reform," said Dean Johnson.
Kevin R. Johnson is Dean and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o studies at UC Davis School of Law. He is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of immigration law and policy, refugee law, and civil rights.