PHOENIX, July 16 (UPI) -- A court battle over Arizona's new immigration law began with opponents of the law urging a delay in enforcing it and backers urging dismissal of the lawsuit.
Seven federal lawsuits have been filed challenging Arizona's Senate Bill 1070, scheduled to go into effect July 29. Hearings are scheduled for next week in suits filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, the American Civil Liberties Union and several other groups.
A hearing Thursday involved the legal challenge filed by a Phoenix police officer and the non-profit group Chicanos Por La Causa, alleging the state law is unconstitutional, The Arizona Republic reported.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer requested a dismissal of the suit and plaintiffs requested a preliminary injunction to stop the law from going into effect, pending a full hearing of the case and a ruling, the newspaper said.
U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton is being asked to consider whether the state law conflicts with federal law and whom certain parts of the law intend to target, the Republic said.
