American Federal Government: Federal Case Research

American Federal Government Midterm

01 July 2012

The first case I chose to review was a very recent case that involved my home state of Arizona. The case is Arizona v. United States, and is concerning the immigration laws currently in place in Arizona. The federal case was held in the United States Supreme Court. According to the syllabus of the federal case obtained from the U.S. Supreme Court website, the case was originally argued on April 25, 2012, and was decided this past Monday, June 25, 2012. On that day the court overwhelmingly rejected many large parts of Arizona’s immigration law that sought to deter illegal immigration, which many activists consider very controversial. However, there was one part of the law that was unanimously allowed to stand. This key provision allows police officers to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws. Having been born and raised in Arizona I understand the frustration of the illegal immigration of aliens and know firsthand that this issue at hand is of epic proportions. I am glad that enforcement officers are able to verify immigration status, but most definitely disagree with the federal case ruling by the Supreme Court last Monday.

The second federal case I chose to review over for this assignment was from quite a few years back. The case is Board of Airport Commissioners of the City of Los Angeles v. Jews for Jesus, Inc. This federal case was held in the United States Supreme Court and involves the issue of whether or not a resolution banning all first amendment activities at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) violates the first amendment. The case was originally argued on March 3, 1987, and was decided on June 15, 1987. The airport implemented a resolution that expressly banned all first amendment activities, stating that all first amendment activities were forbidden in the terminal and could result in litigation. The regulation prohibited talking about, reading material about, or...