Arizona ruling no victory for either side

It was a big stretch for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to call the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on her state’s immigration law “a victory.” The high court tossed out much of the law, which Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach helped write. The state “may not pursue policies that undermine federal law,” the court wrote. For now, the court did let stand the law’s requirement that police officers check the immigration status of those they detain if there is “reasonable suspicion” the person is an illegal immigrant. But even that provision could face additional legal challenges, said the justices, who want the issue first heard by state courts. The Supreme Court’s ruling isn’t much of a victory for the federal government, either. It was the feds’ failure to enforce immigration law, and Congress’ failure to create a workable and responsive immigration system, that caused some states to take matters into their own hands.