Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) [official profiles] in October introduced [JURIST report] the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010, which incorporates several previously proposed bills. Absent comprehensive reform at the federal level, illegal immigration continues to be a concern for local governments as well. In September, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF; JURIST report] that two ordinances passed by the city of Hazleton, Pennsylvania making it more difficult for illegal immigrants to live or work in the town are unconstitutional. Earlier that month, a judge for the US District Court for the District of Arizona [official website] granted a motion to dismiss a police officer's suit [JURIST reports] challenging Arizona's controversial immigration law [JURIST news archive]. In August, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) [official website] filed the state's opening brief [text, PDF; JURIST report] in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website], asking the court to lift the preliminary injunction preventing the law from taking full effect. Also in August, a federal judge ruled [JURIST report] that the Nebraska Supreme Court should be the first forum to address a Fremont, Nebraska ordinance that bans the hiring, harboring or renting of property to illegal immigrants.

DOJ officials described Magliocchetti's collective activities as one of the largest campaign finance crimes in history, though stressed that the recipients were unaware of the funds' improper nature. Because of cases like Magliocchetti, pressure on politicians to be aware of where their campaign contributions come from has increased in recent years. In September 2009, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [official website] upheld [JURIST report] the constitutionality of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA) [text, PDF], a law passed [JURIST report] in 2007 that requires members of Congress to disclose more information about their fund-raising efforts and gifts they receive from lobbyists. The Obama administration has also tried to reduce the amount of contact between lobbyists and officials in the administration. In April 2009, leaders of several lobbying groups asked [JURIST report] the administration to eliminate or change restrictions it has put on contact that lobbyists can have with administration officials concerning American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 [text, PDF; official website] projects. Earlier that month, JURIST guest columnist William Luneburg [faculty profile] criticized constitutional arguments [JURIST op-ed] made by the lobbyist groups, arguing that the restrictions were needed to limit the disproportionate power of such groups.