Federal Judge Blocks Key Sections of Arizona's Controversial Immigration Law

Posted on Jul 29th 2010 7:02AM by Andrew Kerr
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Noel Vasquez, Getty Images

The ongoing controversy surrounding certain sections of Arizona's SB1070 immigration law, which many bands and critics believe would lead to racial profiling, came to a head last night, Jul. 28, after a federal judge blocked their inclusion, the BBC's Newsbeat reports.

Sections of the law, which if implemented would have seen police given the right to stop and check the immigration status of anyone suspected of breaking the law, were blocked by the judge late last night on the grounds that America would "suffer irreparable harm."

US District Judge Susan Bolton said, "There is a substantial likelihood that officers will wrongfully arrest legal resident aliens under the new law."

As reported by Spinner, Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha started a movement called 'Sound Strike' as a reaction to Arizona's planned immigration reform in order to highlight the issue and bring pressure to bear on authorities.

Artists including Kayne West, Rise Against, Conor Oberst, Sonic Youth, Tenacious D, Massive Attack and numerous others quickly signed on and vowed to boycott the state until the law was repealed. The Rage man told the press, "Some of us grew up dealing with racial profiling, but this law takes it to a whole new low."

De La Rocha hasn't been the only high-profile figure to voice his disapproval and promise action. Kayne West has refused to perform in the state while film-maker Michael Moore told CNN's Larry King, "When my next film comes out, I'm going to try and have it as part of my deal with the studio that unless this law changes, I don't want my films being shown in Arizona."

At this time Judge Bolton's injunction is only temporary until she faces further questions. Clearly it's not the end of the matter -- Arizona Governor Jan Brewer was quick to react to the new ruling saying, "It's a temporary bump in the road, we will move forward, and I'm sure that after consultation with our counsel we will appeal."