Compiled by the El Reporter’s staff
Arizona State Legislator Ben Miranda joined labor and religious leaders at a special “Public Forum” on Immigration Reform on Friday, April 30 at the State Capitol in response to theArizona’s approval of one of the most stringent immigration laws in the country that has caused great anger in Latino communities across the U.S.
The Arizona law (SB 1070) allows authorities to demand proof of legal entry into the United States from anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. It has hardened views toward illegal immigration among Republican politicians both here and nationally.
SB 1070 criminalizes all undocumented immigrants as “trespassers” in the state of Arizona, and subjects all undocumented workers and their families to arrest and conviction for misdemeanors, and in some cases felony charges for the new crime of “trespass” (reminiscent of HR 4437, the 2005 ‘Sensenbrenner bill’).
The bill legalizes un- checked racial profiling by police of anyone they “suspect” is undocumented, gives police the authority to enforce federal immigration law and arrest people who cannot produce identifi cation proving their legal residency in the U.S., gives police the power to investigate and entrap employers for hiring undocumented workers, makes seeking work illegal for day laborers and forces all individuals, regardless of immigration status or citizenship, to carry identifi cation papers or be subjected to detention and even deportation. Public agencies and service providers have authority to demand identifi cation documents from anyone.
Brown wins U.S. Supreme court review of California’s ban on the sale of violent video games to minors
AS REPORTED BY THE ATTORYNEY GENERAL OFFICE – Following nearly five years of court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed today to grant the request of California Attorney General and the Governor to review a state law prohibiting the sale or rental of violent video games to children.
The Attorney General petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case last year after California’s ban was struck down in federal court. The case is expected to be heard by the high court later this year.
California’s petition for a writ of certiorari was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2009 on behalf of the state of California. The case stems from a 2005 California law that requires violent video games to be labeled with an “18”, prohibits the sale or rental of these games to minors, and authorizes fines of up to $1,000 for each violation.
The Video Software Dealers Association (now part of the Entertainment Merchants Association) filed suit in federal court to block the law before it could go into effect.
On August 6, 2007, the U.S. District Court for Northern California invalidated California’s law. Brown immediately appealed the ruling. On February 20, 2009, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court ruling.
Attorney Genearl Edmund Brown’s petition asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up this case and overturn the appellate court decision.
The petition argued that violent material in video games should be subject to the same flexible legal standard the courts have applied to limitations on sexually explicit material sold to children – that it is lawful for the state to determine that some content is harmful to children.
