From [HERE] An appeals court on Wednesday struck down a voter-approved law that denies bail to immigrants who are in the country illegally and have been charged with a range of felonies, including shoplifting, aggravated identity theft, sexual assault and murder. An 11-member panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled the law violates due-process rights by imposing punishment before trial. Proponents of the law said it prevents people who are not authorized to be in the country and who skip out on their bail from committing future offenses. Critics say the law’s real intent is to punish immigrants before they have been convicted of any crimes. The law was approved with 78 percent of the vote and was among four immigration proposals approved by Arizonans in 2006.