Judge to get update on SC illegal immigration case

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A federal judge is getting an update on a challenge to South Carolina’s illegal immigration law.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel has scheduled a conference Monday.

The federal government sued to block South Carolina’s law, which was modeled on similar legislation in Arizona. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned most of Arizona’s law but left intact a provision allowing law enforcement to ask the citizenship status of people stopped for another reason.

In December, Gergel blocked several provisions in South Carolina’s law from going into effect. He said in court papers filed last month it is now likely that order will be revised, given the justices’ decision.

For now, state prosecutors have told South Carolina authorities to abide by the order that put the law’s enforcement on hold.

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Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP