Governor Jan Brewer Asks Federal Court to Reject
Administration’s Challenge to Arizona’s Immigration Law


Phoenix – Arizona Governor Jan Brewer this evening filed her response in federal court to the
request by the U.S. Department of Justice to enjoin enforcement of Arizona’s immigration law.

The Arizona Legislature enacted SB 1070 primarily to require that Arizona’s law enforcement
officers cooperate in the enforcement of federal immigration laws and, pursuant to the State’s broad
police powers, to adopt state crimes that mirror existing federal laws. Today’s filing establishes that
the citizens of Arizona will be irreparably harmed if the law is prevented from taking effect on July 29,
2010.

The Governor through her counsel informed the court that SB 1070 is “Arizona’s legitimate and
constitutionally permissible response to the crushing personal, environmental, criminal, and financial
burdens thrust upon the State as a c

By Michael Bowman
Washington

A high-ranking Republican senator says President Barack Obama's nominee for a seat on the Supreme Court should apologize for a comment made years ago about the roles of race and gender in judicial opinions. Meanwhile, Democratic senators are downplaying the remark, and expressing confidence that Sonia Sotomayor will be confirmed the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.

Since her nomination last week, Sonia Sotomayor has been heavily scrutinized, but not on her possible views concerning abortion, gun control, or any other issue that often divides Americans on political or moral grounds. Rather, the focus has been on a 2001 speech in which Sotomayor said she would hope that "a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who has not lived that life."

Many Senate Republicans say they are troubled by the remark, as it suggests the federal appeals court judge is inclined to consider race and gender in judicial decisions rather than adhering to an impartial application of the law.

Republican Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that will vote on Sotomayor's nomination, spoke on Fox News Sunday.

"She thought a Latina woman, someone with her background, would be a better judge than a

By Paula Wolfson
London

U.S. President Barack Obama says the G-20 summit in London marks a turning point in efforts to heal the global economy. But, Mr. Obama cautions there are no guarantees and more action could be needed.

President Obama says he is pleased with the results of his first international summit.

He says it was productive, and predicts it will be seen as a turning point in the pursuit of a global economic recovery.

"By any measure, the London summit was historic," said President Obama. "It was historic because of the size and scope of the challenges that we face, and because of the timeliness and magnitude of our response."

Speaking to reporters just hours after the summit was adjourned, the president spoke of the consensus achieved by countries who came in with different priorities and perspectives.

"It's hard for 20 heads of state to bridge their differences," said Mr. Obama. "We've all got our own national policies, we all have our own assumptions, and our own political cultures. But our citizens are all hurting. They all need us to come together."

The president did not get a concrete promise from others for substantial increases in government domestic spending - a tool he has used at home to boost the U.S. economy. But there was agreement to provide funding for $1 trillion in additional loans and credits for struggling countries through the International Monetary Fund and other institutions. And the summit started the process of clamping down on tax havens for the wealthy and loosely regulated investment funds for the rich.

Mr. Obama said the G-20 meeting approved critical, bold steps. He said there is no guarantee they will all work, but he stressed the healing process has begun.

"I think we applied the right medicine," he said. "I think the patient is stabilized. There are still wounds that have to heal. There are still emergencies that could arise. But I think you have some pretty good care being applied."

The president also used the opportunity to reflect on the numerous one-on-one meetings he held with world leaders from Russia, China, India, South Korea and

By Kent Klein
White House

President Barack Obama is expected on Friday to unveil his proposal for gradually reducing U.S. troop strength in Iraq. Mr. Obama will make the announcement at Camp Lejeune, a Marine base in North Carolina.

Thousands of Marines from Camp Lejeune have been deployed to Iraq during the course of the war.

About 500 Marines returned to the base from Iraq last week, and President Obama says he plans to bring many more home in the months ahead.

Phasing out U.S. troop deployments to Iraq was one of Mr. Obama's campaign promises last year.

"In 16 months, we should be able to reduce our

[image1_right]-(inan.info)-By VOA News

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has sworn in Leon Panetta as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Panetta, a former chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton, has no direct experience in intelligence, unlike many of his predecessors. Instead, he is known for his executive and organizational skills.

Biden called Panetta a person of exceptional capacity and capability who will lead the intelligence community during a time of

Great triumphs and historic firsts highlight women’s initial foray into national political office. Four years after Jeannette Rankin was elected to the House of Representatives in 1916, women won the right to vote nationally, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Rebecca Felton of Georgia became the first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate in 1922. That same year, Alice Robertson of Oklahoma became the first woman to

Since 1789, 19 Presidents and 33 major presidential nominees served in the U.S. House of Representatives at some point in their career. This chart identifies these individuals, listing their dates of House service and party affiliation while in the House; and it includes the other major offices they held. In this chart, successful candidates for President are identified in bold.1 Only in the

(AB)-INAN-(governmentinfopro)-There's a celebration going on over at Gov Gab. That's because it's Gov Gab's first birthday. In early October of last year, I wrote about the then brand-new Gov Gab on the Government Info Pro in the post: Blogging About Government Information: Gov Gab. It's a year later and Gov Gab is going strong.

I even got a note from Jake, Gov Gab's Monday blogger, about the upcoming birthday and what they had planned for it. On the occasion of their first birthday, each Gov Gab blogger is posting about what the U.S.A. was like when they turned 1-year old.

One of the things I really enjoy about Gov Gab is the different voices and perspectives of their team of bloggers. They've got seven federal government employees on board: Jake, Joanne, Colleen, Nancy, Ginger, Jim, and Stephanie. And they

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Senate last night approved legislation sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), that would prohibit the sale and counterfeiting of inaugural tickets.

“The Presidential Inauguration is one of the most important rituals of our democracy. The chance to witness it should not be bought and sold like tickets to a sporting event. These tickets are free and they should remain free for the American people,” said Senator Feinstein, chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC). “My hope is that the House takes up and quickly passes this legislation so that we can stop scam artists and profiteers from tarnishing this important event. There’s little time left. We must do our part to ensure that the inauguration is granted all of the respect and dignity it deserves.”

The bill makes it unlawful to sell or attempt to sell tickets to

On January 20th, the United States will experience the 44th Inaugural ceremony for the President of the United States.