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#Federal judge strikes down Arizona immigration law - LA Times

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton said in her Friday ruling that the state law was preempted by the U.S. government s authority to enforce immigration laws, dealing another legal blow to Arizona s controversial efforts to give local and state law enforcement more muscle to combat illegal immigration.

The smuggling law, passed in 2005, was designed to prosecute those trafficking people into the country. The law was modified by the controversial SB 1070, which expanded the ability of local authorities to stop people suspected of being in the country illegally.

In her ruling, Bolton said the state law imposes additional and different state penalties than federal law; it divests federal authorities of the exclusive power to prosecute these specific smuggling crimes; and criminalizes conduct not covered by (federal law) because it does not contain a safe harbor exception for religious activities like the federal statute does.