Two momentous rulings from the Supremes

Last week, the Supreme Court, in all of its glory, decided on two monumental cases.

First, the court ruled on SB 1070, Arizona’s tough immigration law. Then, last Thursday, they decided the legal fate of the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, the pinnacle of President Obama’s legislative agenda and perhaps the most important initiative of his career.

In 2010, the Obama administration sued the state of Arizona to block implementation of SB 1070. After two years of legal battles, the Supreme Court voted by a count of 5-3 to uphold the key provision of the law, while striking down the rest of it. The provision it upheld allows police, while enforcing other laws, to question a suspect’s immigration status if officers have reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country without the proper documents.

All other provisions, including a requirement that all immigrants obtain or carry immigration papers, a provision making it a state criminal offense for an undocumented immigrant to seek work or hold a job, and one that would allow police to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants without warrants, were struck down.

Obama said that he was “pleased” by the ruling, and went on to add, “A patchwork of state laws is not a solution for our broken immigration system.”

So, police officers have a right to ask people about their citizenship if they have reason to believe they are here illegally. Although the decision was split, it was a victory for the states that pushed for the right to question suspects about their citizenship.