In control of the Alabama legislature and governorship for the first time in 137 years, Republicans sent a clear message that they’re bent on delivering conservative change. In fact, the shock of the their passage of major fiscal and social legislation is still reverberating, especially on the issue of immigration.

The new immigration law is regarded as the toughest in the nation, and it has stirred protests and lawsuits from the Obama administration, civil rights groups, and churches. The law will go into effect on September 1, unless blocked or modified by federal judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn, who heard arguments in the case on Wednesday.