ARIZONA LOSES THE FIRST ROUND – AT 7:17 P.M. ET:  A federal judge has issued an injunction against certain parts of the new, controversial Arizona anti-illegal-immigration bill:

PHOENIX — A federal judge on Wednesday, weighing in on a clash between the federal government and a state over immigration policy, blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona’s immigration enforcement law from going into effect.

But Judge Bolton took aim at the parts of the law that have generated the most controversy, issuing a preliminary injunction against sections that called for police officers to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws and that required immigrants to carry their papers at all times.

COMMENT:  This is only the first stage.  Higher courts will rule on, for example, issues of constitutionality.  Many legal observers believe that the Arizona law will have to be tested ultimately before the U.S. Supreme Court. 

It was amusing watching some of the leftist pundits react to the ruling today.  Rick Sanchez, CNN's daytime "progressive" anchor, could barely contain his glee, surprising since he's generally so capable of restraining thought.

The hypocrisy here is that there are so-called "sanctuary cities" that refuse to enforce federal immigration law or cooperate with federal authorities in upholding that law, and yet the Obama administration has no problem with them.

Today's decision is a setback, in my view, for the millions of Hispanic-Americans who have come here legally, won their citizenship, and contribute lawfully to the country every day.  But higher courts will rule, and reason may, in the end, prevail.

Nothing that happened today does a thing toward solving the problem of illegal immigration.

July 28, 2010