Court hearing follows vote halting immigration law

July 28, 2010 at 2:02 p.m.

by Margery A. Beck/AP

Fremont Mayor Skip Edwards, left, collects his papers following a city council meeting with city administrator Robert Hartwig, right, in Fremont, Neb., Tuesday, July 27, 2010. A voter-approved ban on hiring and renting property to illegal immigrants was suspended Tuesday by the Fremont City Council, less than two days before it was set to take effect in the eastern Nebraska city. Council members voted to delay an ordinance that is being challenged by two federal lawsuits, saying the move will save the city money in its legal defense.
Fremont Mayor Skip Edwards, left, collects his papers following a city council meeting with city administrator Robert Hartwig, right, in Fremont, Neb., Tuesday, July 27, 2010. A voter-approved ban on hiring and renting property to illegal immigrants was suspended Tuesday by the Fremont City Council, less than two days before it was set to take effect in the eastern Nebraska city. Council members voted to delay an ordinance that is being challenged by two federal lawsuits, saying the move will save the city money in its legal defense.

OMAHA, Neb. — A day after Fremont's ban on hiring and renting to illegal immigrants was temporarily suspended, two civil rights groups are heading to federal court to ask a judge to ensure the ordinance stays blocked.

The Fremont City Council voted Tuesday to suspend the ban until lawsuits filed over it are settled.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska and the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund have sued the city, saying the ordinance is discriminatory. Both groups also filed motions seeking preliminary injunctions to keep the ban from being enforced while the lawsuits proceed.

The ACLU said it will ask a federal judge Wednesday to block the ordinance pending a final court resolution. MALDEF is considering continuing with its injunction request.

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