Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting

Arizona's Legal Arizona Workers Act (LAWA) allowed the state to suspend or revoke business licenses of, and sue, employers who knowingly hired unauthorized aliens, and required Arizona employers to use the federal E-Verify system to confirm work eligibility. The Chamber of Commerce and other groups (plaintiffs) sued Arizona officials (defendants), arguing federal immigration law — which expressly preempts state sanctions on employers of unauthorized aliens except "through licensing and similar laws" — preempted LAWA. The district court and court of appeals both held LAWA was not preempted, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.