Supreme Court Upholds Arizona Employer Sanction Law

The Supreme Court has held that an Arizona law that imposes sanctions on employers that hire unauthorized workers and requires the mandatory use of E-Verify is not preempted by federal law, and therefore valid. The Arizona law at issue – the Legal Arizona Workers Act – provides for the suspension or revocation of an employer’s business license in that state if that employer knowingly or intentionally hires an unauthorized worker. The statute also mandates the use of the E-Verify electronic verification system to check on an employee’s work eligibility. The Court’s decision in Chamber Of Commerce v. Whiting (pdf) upholding this statute opens the door for other states to enact laws that similarly impose stricter penalties on employers for immigration law violations.

The question now remains if this ruling will have any effect on challenges to SB 1070.
StateBrief’s Amy Laff explains the ruling.