From the WaPo this morning; the Federal Gov’t is going to sue Arizona over their immigration statute. The early part of the article explains that the suit is likely to be based on the idea of “preemption”. Federal laws trump State laws. This is laid out in the Constitution’s supremacy clause and is well-established. So far so good.
Here’s the quote I like: “Justice Department officials believe that enforcing immigration laws is a federal responsibility” Really? So, what happens when they just won’t fulfill their responsibilities? Willl Justice sue the Feds for not going their job? Can we sue for that? It’s not a stretch to say that if the Feds were doing their job in the first place, we would be in a much better situation. It might not have been perfect but we wouldn’t be here….. Heck, they’ve even subbed out part of their job in the form of the 287g program. You know that things are dire when local electeds like me voluntarily underwrite the cost of a Federal program because we were so desperate to get a handle on the situation a couple of years ago.
When will the stuffed suits across the Potomac wake up and take ownership of this problem that only they can fully solve? After the next election? 2 elections? never?
July 6, 2010 at 10:06 pm
Heard today on WTOP, right after the story about this Justice suit, give the story on how three Federal Judges handed the White House a defeat regarding Yucca Mountain.
Seems the President through an Executive Order was trying to shut down the depository…and the Judges ruled that he does not have the authority under the Constitution to do it – only Congress can pass the law to do it.
Maybe that might wake up the suits, but I doubt it.
There is the old joke that says Washington is 70 square miles surrounded by reality. Guess the AZ proves it…LOL!
July 7, 2010 at 6:36 am
The solution requires securing the border FIRST, and neither political party has the cajones to do it. MAYBE with a Republican Congress some steps towards doing that will be made, but the Executive will fight it (rather than do their Constitutional duty and enforce the laws passed by Congress).
So to answer your question…never?
So, who wants to take bets on how many of those suits have actually READ the AZ law? I say 1/3, tops.
from my BlackBerry Storm…
July 11, 2010 at 11:37 am
The one aspect that people are missing in this issue is how obama and holder made a big deal to point how their justice department, unlike the one in the last eight years, was not going to be ruled by politics.
Not only is holder playing politics, but he’s a racist too. He declined to pursue charges against the black panthers in Philadelphia, PA, who on election day in 2008, showed up at an polling place with weapons in a clear attempt to stop people from voting. Their actions were caught on video tape, and non political lawyers at the justice department found they had a case. However, political appointees of Holder and obama overuled and the case was dropped.
Holder now decides to go after the white Oakland Police officer who was found not guilty of murder of an unarmed black man. I hardly doubt Holder would take such quick action if the officer was not white or the victim was white.
Simply put, when holder called us a nation of cowards when it came to race, he simply could have just called out himself and obama.
Unlike under President Bush, when Ice now makes employment raids, suspected illegals are just fired, not deported. The simple fact is that obama supports illegals and will stop at nothing to grant them Citizenship.
If you thought the health care bill was a shame, you’ve not seen anything when he pushes through the amnesty bill, after his party takes a whipping in November. The lame duck congress will pass everything they can, by hook or crook before the new Congress is sworn in.