Tag Archives: citizenship

Pending Supreme Court Case On AZ Voting Could Impact TN Law

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will struggle this week with the validity of an Arizona law that tries to keep illegal immigrants from voting by demanding all state residents show documents proving their U.S. citizenship before registering to vote in national elections.
The high court will hear arguments Monday over the legality of Arizona’s voter-approved requirement that prospective voters document their U.S. citizenship in order to use a registration form produced under the federal “Motor Voter” voter registration law that doesn’t require such documentation.
This case focuses on voter registration in Arizona, which has tangled frequently with the federal government over immigration issues involving the Mexican border. But it has broader implications because four other states — Alabama, Georgia, Kansas and Tennessee — have similar requirements, and 12 other states are contemplating similar legislation, officials say.
The Obama administration is supporting challengers to the law.

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Bill Requiring Students to Prove Citizenship Dies

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The sponsor of a bill seeking to require students to provide their citizenship status when they register for public schools has withdrawn the measure for the year.
Republican Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver of Lancaster said Tuesday it was with a “heavy heart” that she abandoned the measure to check Social Security numbers, passports or birth certificates.
She said the bill (HB1085) was opposed by lobbyists, members of the House State and Local Government Committee and school superintendents.
Weaver said the proposal was meant to determine how many illegal immigrants are in Tennessee public schools and what their enrollment costs.
Republican Rep. Curry Todd of Collierville, the panel’s chairman, ruled out attempts by House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Turner of Nashville to respond to Weaver’s comments.