An hour-long hearing at the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco signals a mixed bag for both supporters and opponents of Arizona's harsh anti-illegal-immigrant law.
A story in the Washington Post claims that "deep skepticism" by one judge about the Obama Adminstration's challenge to the law makes it "uncertain" that the federal government can stop the law from taking affect.
That and similar articles point out the heavy criticism of the government's position by Judge John T. Noonan Jr. on the issue of police checking a person's immigration status.
An Arizona Republic article quotes state Senator Russell Pearce, the law's primary advocate, as saying the hearing "went fairly well."
On the other hand, two of the judges on the panel suggested that the law's requirement for immigrants to carry ID and penalties for those working illegally would not fly.
"This is going to be a mixed verdict," says one California law professor in a Los Angeles Times blog post.
Hundreds of people turned out to protest Arizona's law outside of the federal court building.
It's unknown when the Ninth Circuit will rule. Whatever the judges' decision, the case appears headed for the U.S. Supreme Court.
