The Supreme Court ordered a federal appeals court on Monday to take a new look at a Pennsylvania city's crackdown on illegal immigrants in light of the high court's recent decision upholding an Arizona employer-sanctions law.
The high court threw out a ruling by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that prevented the city of Hazleton from enforcing regulations that would deny permits to business that hire illegal immigrants and fine landlords who rent to them.
The measures inspired similar laws around the country, including the one in Arizona that deals only with penalties for employers.
The justices typically order lower courts to re-examine cases in light of a high court decision on a similar topic.
The Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit ruled in September that Hazleton's Illegal Immigration Relief Act usurped the federal government's exclusive power to regulate immigration.
