Two of the most controversial elements of Arizona’s new immigration law have been halted just hours before they were to come into effect at midnight July 29, 2010. The two parts of the law, one that requires police to determine the status of people stopped and thought to be illegally in the country, and the second that charges people for not having proper immigration documents have been halted by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton.

Bolton’s ruling found that the federal administration would most likely win in a trial proving the two provisions, and two others, were unconstitutional.  The Obama administration insists regulation of illegal immigrants is a federal issue, where states have no say.  Arizona will likely appeal the decision immediately to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.