The brief was filed before a federal court in Arizona where a hearing on the federal suit has been scheduled for tomorrow.
In an interview with USA TODAY, Cox said he is defending a long tradition of state sovereignty. "Historically, states have stood up to solve problems that come their way and that's what Arizona is attempting to do here," he said. Cox, the son of immigrants (dad was from Scotland and mom from Ireland) dismissed arguments that the Arizona law violate civil rights by requiring immigrants to prove their legal status.
"My mom always carried her green card with her driver's license," he said. Providing identification is "part of daily modern life," he added.
Joining the Michigan brief: Florida, Alabama, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Texas and the territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. Three of the attorneys general involved are running for governor this year: Cox, Bill McCollum in Florida and Tom Corbett in Pennsylvania. All are Republicans.

