In both cases, the lower courts ruled that the ordinances are preempted by federal immigration statutes and national policies set by the Obama administration.
The cases stem from local measures passed by the City of Hazelton, Pa., and the City of Farmers Branch, Texas.
Both appeals were being presented by Kris Kobach of Kansas City, the same lawyer who helped write Arizona’s controversial “show me your papers law” that was partly upheld and partly struck down by the high court in June 2012. Mr. Kobach is secretary of state of Kansas and also works as a lawyer with the conservative Immigration Law Reform Institute.
The action by the Supreme Court means that decisions by the Third US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia and the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans will remain in place. The high court announced its decision not to hear the cases in a one-line order, and offered no explanation.
The cases arose as part of a larger struggle over US immigration policy amid a growing number of undocumented immigrants in communities across the country. Some communities welcome the newcomers with open arms; others have sought to encourage them to go elsewhere.
