Phoenix - Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced today that he accepts the duty of handling two controversial Arizona lawsuits on immigration. Governor Doug Ducey reported that he will give General Brnovich primary responsibility for pending federal litigation concerning SB 1070 and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Governor Ducey expressed trust that General Brnovich will take an approach that is in the best interest of the state and taxpayers.
The cases transferred to the Attorney General’s Office include a possible appeal of the ruling requiring the state to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children and pending litigation concerning Arizona's 2010 immigration-enforcement law.
"My office will review the litigation and determine how best to proceed on the merits,” said Brnovich. “The Attorney General's Office should have been handling these cases in the first place and we welcome the governor’s confidence and support."
These case transfers are an example of why Governor Ducey included one million dollars in his proposed budget for a “Federalism Unit” in the Office of the Arizona Attorney General.
“It is critical that we defend our state statutes and avoid using costly outside counsel whenever possible,” Attorney General Brnovich added. “From immigration cases, to overly burdensome regulations of the EPA, and even ensuring the state has a seat at the table when discussing endangered species, the Federalism Unit will help my office defend our state.”
For more information contact the Attorney General's Office at (602) 542-5025.