Federal Court Blocks Two More Parts of Alabama Immigration Law

Demonstrators protest Alabama's immigration law during Gov. Robert Bentley's State of the State address at the Capitol in Montgomery, Ala., Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. Opponents of the law are planning a Valentine's Day demonstration at the Statehouse in Montgomery. The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice is organizing a day of rallying and lobbying at the Legislature on Tuesday, Feb. 14th. Leaders are hoping the event will build momentum for their drive to repeal the law. And they say they'll spend more days at the Legislature lobbying against the law, parts of which have been blocked by federal courts. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) (AP2012)

As lawsuits stack up against Alabama's strict new immigration law, a federal appeals court temporarily blocked two more parts of legislation as a decision to strike it down completely still hangs in limbo.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday issued an order blocking a section that says courts can't enforce contracts involving undocumented immigrants and another that makes it a felony for an undocumented immigrant to do business with the state.

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Alabama's law was challenged last year by both the federal government and a coalition of activist groups, and the cases have been appealed to the 11th Circuit. A three-judge panel in that court heard arguments in the case last week.

But the court said it won't decide whether to completely overturn the law until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a federal challenge to a similar law in Arizona.

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Based on reporting by The Associated Press.