Almost immediately after the Supreme Court upheld one provision of Arizona’s SB1070 immigration law and ruled three others unconstitutional, media outlets, officials and others took to Twitter and their websites to play the game of winners and losers and define the narrative concerning a nuanced decision.
U.S. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS KEY PART OF TOUGH ARIZONA IMMIGRATION LAW, IN DEFEAT FOR OBAMA — Reuters Top News (@Reuters) June 25, 2012
Reuter’s took a cue from its wire and called the decision a loss for the president. The New York Times focused on parts of the law being rejected.
Politico highlighted differences in how the cable news channels were describing the decision.
Two Fox News websites played the decision very differently as well.
(Courtesy Media Matters)
Lawmakers chimed in, and unsurprisingly, called the decision a victory for their side.
#SCOTUS was right to strike down majority of AZ law; That 3 of 4 provisions were struck down shows law was unconstitutional
— Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) June 25, 2012
Supreme Court has upheld what Arizonans knew all along – states have a right and responsibility to protect their citizens. A proud day!
— Jan Brewer (@GovBrewer) June 25, 2012
But for many, regardless of who “wins” politically, the decision will have far reaching implications for the people it affects.
#SCOTUS dealt a blow to the anti-immigrant movement, but also dealt a blow to Latinos and immigrants living in the United States. #SB1070
— Luis V. Gutierrez (@LuisGutierrez) June 25, 2012
