Arizona Contractors Association, Inc., et al. v. Candelaria, et al.

Case Updates

The Ninth Circuit declined to review en banc a three-judge panel’s rejection of this challenge.

The U.S. Supreme Court granted NCLC's petition for review of the decision. That petition is captioned Chamber of Commerce, et al. v. Whiting, et al.

NCLC joined a coalition of Arizona associations challenging the constitutionality of an Arizona law that interferes with federal law regulating the employment of undocumented workers. The Arizona law imposes sanctions, including the revocation of business licenses without an opportunity for a hearing, on employers who are deemed to have knowingly hired undocumented workers. The state also requires mandatory compliance with the E-Verify employment verification program, which is voluntary under federal law. In the complaint filed against 15 county attorneys and the state’s attorney general, NCLC challenged the Arizona statute as unconstitutional because it ignores employers’ due process rights and is preempted by federal law - the Immigration Reform and Control Act - which provides a comprehensive plan prohibiting the employment of illegal immigrants in the United States.

Previously, this case was captioned Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc., et al. v. Napolitano, et al. and Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc., et al. v. Candelaria, et al.