Early life and education
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bolton graduated from the University of Iowa with her Bachelor's Degree in 1973 and her Juris Doctor degree in 1975.[1]
Professional career
Bolton was a law clerk for Arizona State Appeals Judge Laurance Wren in the Arizona Court of Appeals from 1975 to 1977. Bolton entered private practice in the State of Arizona from 1977 to 1989 before bcoming a Superior Court Judge in the Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa County from 1989 to 2000.[1]
Judicial career
District of Arizona
On the recommendation of U.S. Senator Jon Kyl, Bolton was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Arizona by President Bill Clinton on July 21, 2000 to a seat vacated by Robert Broomfield. Bolton was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 3, 2000 on the unanimous consent of the Senate and received commission on October 13, 2000. [2]
Awards and associations
Notable cases
Arizona immigration law (S.B. 1070)
The United States Department of Justice took the state of Arizona to court in order to stop its bill on immigration from taking effect July 29, 2010. In the ruling, Bolton upheld parts of the law, while striking down some of its more controversial aspects.
In summary, parts of the law that were upheld:
The state can restrict local officials from creating "sanctuary city" policies that limit enforcement of the law;
Arizona state officials will work with the federal government on illegal immigration; and
it is a crime to employ day laborers, often illegal immigrants that wait for work in public areas. [3]
Parts of the law blocked by the decision:
The state cannot criminalize individuals for failing to have alien registration papers on them;
Arizona cannot authorize "the warrantless arrest of a person" if law officials believe she or he is in the county illegally. [4]
The state of Arizona appealed the ruling in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The Ninth Circuit upheld Bolton's ruling on April 1, 2011.
[Above from Judgepedia, http://judgepedia.org/index.php/Susan_Bolton ]
YAY! One more brick in the wall that will eventually FORCE states and individuals to face federal courts' lack of legitimacy in deciding issues where the feds are one of the parties! Apparently the states and people HAVE to be forced to come to that realization; I'm just dumbfounded that the feds have got away with it for THIS long.