Supreme Court Ruling: Will It Boost Illegal Immigrants' Job Prospects?

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down some key provisions of Arizona's controversial law targeting illegal immigration -- while also upholding one other. And while the decision has led both sides to claim victory, what's been lost in the partisan politicking is how the ruling will affect American workers.

The High Court threw out a critical provision of Arizona's law -- the requirement that workers show documents before getting hired.

Even though the Supreme Court voted unanimously to leave in place the law's "show me your papers please" provision, which permits state police to inquire about the immigration status of anyone stopped there for any reason, it agreed with the Obama administration that Arizona was overreaching in other areas, including making it a crime to be undocumented and allowing warrantless arrests of those suspected of it.

With the reversal of the jobs part of the measure, though, Arizona is still left with questions about what the ruling might mean for legal workers in the state. The Supreme Court's rejection of the mandate to show work permits raised a practical and pressing issue: Does the High Court's rejection of this key provision amount to a boon for illegal workers? Will American workers find it harder to get hired if illegal immigrants don't have to fear being asked for immigration papers when they apply for a job?