{"id":1476,"date":"2011-11-02T14:00:28","date_gmt":"2011-11-02T18:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=1476"},"modified":"2011-11-29T15:16:45","modified_gmt":"2011-11-29T20:16:45","slug":"jay-sekulow-dont-blame-states-for-federal-governments-failure-to-protect-citizens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/11\/jay-sekulow-dont-blame-states-for-federal-governments-failure-to-protect-citizens.html","title":{"rendered":"Jay Sekulow – Don’t Blame States for Federal Government’s Failure to Protect Citizens"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It’s not surprising – another lawsuit by the federal government – targeting South Carolina’s new immigration law<\/a>. Not surprising, but certainly misplaced. South Carolina, like many other states, are facing the reality that they must now protect their citizens and borders because of the federal government’s massive failure in this area.<\/p>\n

I told Bill Hemmer of America’s Newsroom<\/a> on FOX that as a grandson of immigrants, I support immigration – legal immigration<\/a>. But what’s happening is clear: there is a failure of the federal government to exercise its authority to protect our citizens. So states have a right to protect their citizens – and laws like the new one in South Carolina – clearly fall within the police power of the state.<\/p>\n

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a daughter of immigrants, signed the law in June. It takes effect in January. Her spokesperson summed up her position<\/a>: “As the daughter of immigrants who came to this country legally, Governor Haley understands that no American value is more sacred than the rule of law. That’s what this is about, ‘nothing more, nothing less.’ If the Feds were doing their job, we wouldn’t have had to address illegal immigration reform at the state level. But, until they do, we’re going to keep fighting in South Carolina to be able to enforce our laws.”<\/p>\n

There’s absolutely nothing wrong or unconstitutional for states to step in because the federal government isn’t doing its job.<\/p>\n

As I told FOX, the fact is that if you’re in Europe and you’re asked to produce your passport to establish your citizenship, and you don’t show it, you end up in jail.<\/p>\n

You can watch my FOX interview on this topic here.<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AHs5ovYpAm8&feature=player_embedded#!<\/a>\n

What I also told Bill Hemmer is that this issue ultimately will be decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. All of these challenges will end up there. In fact, Arizona’s case is currently pending before the high court.<\/p>\n

In September<\/a>, we filed an amicus brief representing 59 members of Congress, along with nearly 60,000 Americans who signed on to our Committee to Protect America’s Border,\u00a0backing a request for the Justices to take the Arizona case.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It’s critical that the high court take the case and overturn a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Our position is very clear: Arizona’s S.B. 1070 is constitutional because it mirrors federal immigration law and incorporates federal standards. Our brief is posted here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We are also urging the high court to take this Arizona case because many states – South Carolina being the most recent – are enacting laws like Arizona\u2019s and that most of these mirror federal immigration provisions. Our brief contends:<\/a> “The legitimacy of state efforts to promote national policy as embodied in federal statutes is an important issue that requires this Court’s resolution.” It is our position that the appeals court decision “treads upon federalism by stripping the states of all sovereignty over problems that Congress and our federalist system have committed to the states.”<\/p>\n

Whether it’s Arizona, South Carolina, or Alabama, this is an issue that needs to be addressed and clarified by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

Jay Sekulow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s not surprising – another lawsuit by the federal government – targeting South Carolina’s new immigration law. Not surprising, but certainly misplaced. South Carolina, like many other states, are facing the reality that they must now protect their citizens and borders because of the federal government’s massive failure in this area. I told Bill Hemmer…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,82,437,8],"tags":[743,438,203,443,442,769,439,441,440,744,792],"class_list":["post-1476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arizona","category-immigration","category-south-carolina","category-supreme-court","tag-aclj","tag-americas-newsroom","tag-fox-news","tag-governor-haley","tag-illegal-immigration","tag-immigration","tag-protecting-americas-border","tag-protecting-citizens","tag-states-rights","tag-supreme-court","tag-u-s-department-of-justice"],"yoast_head":"\nJay Sekulow - Don't Blame States for Federal Government's Failure to Protect Citizens - Faith & Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/11\/jay-sekulow-dont-blame-states-for-federal-governments-failure-to-protect-citizens.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jay Sekulow - Don't Blame States for Federal Government's Failure to Protect Citizens - Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It’s not surprising – another lawsuit by the federal government – targeting South Carolina’s new immigration law. Not surprising, but certainly misplaced. South Carolina, like many other states, are facing the reality that they must now protect their citizens and borders because of the federal government’s massive failure in this area. 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He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1476"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1492,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1476\/revisions\/1492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}