As the Justice Department prepares to argue Thursday against Arizona’s immigration law, The Associated Press takes a look into the background of the judge who
“„Bolton has ruled in two cases unrelated to immigration that federal law trumps state law.
“„In 2008, Bolton threw out a claim by a woman who alleged her employer broke a federal law on overtime pay. The woman made the claim under federal law but sought more generous damages under a state law dictating when an employee is to be paid. The judge threw out her claim under state law.
“„Three years earlier, in a lawsuit from a woman who claimed she was harmed by taking a cold medicine, Bolton ruled that a state law immunizing drug makers from most punitive damages in product liability cases was superseded by federal law.