Serious implications for U.S. foreign policy interests and U.S. compliance with international human rights standards will be at stake if the Supreme Court considers Arizona SB 1070’s constitutionality.
The Ninth Circuit’s decision in United States v. Arizona is consistent with U.S. obligations under international human rights law as well as the Constitution. It at least partially protects the significant national interest in the conduct of foreign policy between the U.S. and Mexico as well. The decision upheld U.S. District Court Judge Susan R. Bolton’s preliminary injunction against key portions of Arizona’s infamous “Support Our Law Enforcement and Secure Neighborhoods Act,” also known as Arizona S.B. 1070, as amended by Arizona H.B. 2162.