LAS VEGAS (AP) — Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval says he believes bipartisan immigration reform is needed but executive orders are not the best way to do it.
Sandoval issued a statement Thursday after the Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 on a case challenging President Barack Obama's deportation relief effort.
Sandoval is Nevada's first Hispanic governor and takes more moderate stances than fellow Republican elected official Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who praised the court outcome as a victory for the rule of law and the balance of power.
Laxalt last year signed Nevada onto a lawsuit challenging the executive order Obama issued after he said Congress wasn't acting on immigration reform. Obama's order would have prevented deportation for millions of people in the country illegally.
Sandoval did not give prior approval to joining the suit.