By Jesse Cripps and Ryan Stewart (September 17, 2018, 3:12 PM EDT) -- On July 5, 2018, in U.S. v. the State of California, Judge John A. Mendez of the Eastern District of California issued an important ruling involving California employers' legal obligations during federal immigration enforcement actions at the workplace. In the lawsuit at issue, the federal government seeks to invalidate a series of recent California "sanctuary" statutes — including Assembly Bill 450, or the Immigrant Worker Protection Act — which imposes various restrictions and requirements on California employers, including that employers are not permitted to voluntarily consent to a federal agent's request to access the worksite and employee records without a warrant. In his 60-page order, Judge Mendez granted in part and denied in part the federal government's motion for preliminary injunction and forbade California and its officials from enforcing several portions of AB 450 during the pendency of the litigation....