ATLANTA — A federal judge refused Wednesday to block key parts of a closely watched Alabama law that is considered the strictest state effort to clamp down on illegal immigration.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Blackburn wrote a 115-page opinion finding that some parts of the law conflict with federal statutes, but others don’t. Blackburn’s orders temporarily blocked measures that would, among others:
• Make it a crime for an illegal immigrant to solicit work.
• Make it a crime to transport or harbor an illegal immigrant.
• Allow discrimination lawsuits against companies that dismiss legal workers while hiring illegal immigrants.
• Bar illegal immigrants from attending public colleges.
Blackburn said federal law doesn’t prohibit checking students or suspects pulled over by police.
Her decision, which conflicts with other judges’ rulings on other states’ immigration laws, makes it much more likely that such laws will eventually be decided by the Supreme Court.
