immigration law

Is Arizona's "Legal Arizona Workers Act" -- which targets employers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants -- preempted by federal laws? The Supreme Court has agreed to hear challenges to the law on Wednesday. A final ruling is months away.

The renegade clothing maker and retailer led by the outrageous Dov Charney faces high-drama legal problems worthy of a daytime soap: sexual harassment suits, a wage-and-hour suit, immigration problems and shareholder suits. But federal probes into accounting issues could be the biggest threats to its existence.

In short, she found that federal law trumps the struck-down parts of Arizona's law because they imposed burdens on legal immigrants that only the federal government can impose, and because the law would force the U.S. government to reallocate resources away from its priorities, something states can't do.

Polls show a link between the 8 million jobs lost during the Great Recession and a hostile attitude toward immigrants. These problems are adding to the pressure for new immigration policies -- and new jobs.