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Washington PostThe federal judge who blocked key aspects of Arizona's new immigration law was so well regarded across the political spectrum that she was nominated to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, who tapped her on the recommendation of Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), one of Congress's most conservative senators.
Hate mail and threats flowed into her court offices, according to news reports. Conservative bloggers decried her "activist" leanings and accused her of falling in with the American Civil Liberties Union, a prominent challenger of the law and a favorite target of the right. And Kyl, who during Bolton's nomination hearings in 2000 lauded her expertise and fairness, did not conceal his disappointment.
Bolton is no stranger to controversy or to cases that might elicit death threats. Since beginning her career as a judge in 1989, she has taken on Mexican smugglers, civil libertarians and members of the Arizona legislature. While a Superior Court justice in Maricopa County, she handled some of the most complex and delicate cases to come before the court, a colleague said. In her decade on the federal bench, she has overseen cases that touched on border issues.
No other case, however, has thrust her into the national spotlight like her decision Wednesday to block the most contentious parts of Arizona's law, including provisions that would have required police officers to check the immigration status of people they arrest. People close to Bolton said she is a meticulous jurist who is not easily shaken by such attention.
"Put it this way: Susan has never been accused of being a coward," said retired Superior Judge Ken Fields, who worked alongside Bolton for a decade. "She's probably the perfect judge to have for this case. She analyzes the facts and makes a decision without bias one way or the other."
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