( CNN ) -- The judicial equivalent of white smoke has risen : The Supreme Court has ruled in a split decision rejecting most of Arizona 's controversial immigration policing law , SB 1070 . Many were expecting a tough ruling favoring the Arizona statute and opening the floodgates to states ' rights . And so the majority opinion is surprising as it upholds the federal government 's power in setting immigration policy , leaving less room than many anticipated for state immigration enforcement . Decision and issues at a glance . The justices upheld the provision of most concern to immigrant rights advocates , requiring police to check the immigration status of people they stop for other reasons if the officers suspect that they are in the country illegally . But even that part of the opinion is tenuous , and it 's far from certain what will happen next . Maybe it 's a coincidence , but the court 's hesitance to open the door to more state immigration enforcement is consistent with a new mood emerging in the states and nationally . Winners , losers in immigration policy debate ? The past six years saw a federalist revolution in immigration lawmaking , with states taking more power into their own hands every year . But the mood in most state houses was strikingly different this spring , with lawmakers much less focused on immigration and in much less of a hurry to crack down . Read the immigration ruling ( PDF ) According to the National Conference of State Legislatures , state lawmakers considered far fewer bills mentioning immigration : Halfway through the legislative sessions , in March , the number was down by 44 % . Only two or three states seriously considered far-reaching enforcement measures , and no state enacted a new law . ( Alabama revised an existing law , mostly softening it . ) Most surprising , no state took advantage of the opening created by last year 's Supreme Court immigration decision , the ruling that states may act to prevent and punish the hiring of unauthorized immigrants , requiring employers to enroll in the federal E-Verify worker identification program . Most observers expected that ruling too to encourage a host of imitators . In fact , nothing happened ; not a single state enacted a law mandating E-Verify for any new employers . Opinion : An incomplete win for Obama ? Developments in recent weeks suggest that the public 's views , too , may be shifting . President Obama 's surprise announcement that immigration authorities will not deport up to a million young people brought to the country illegally as children has met with an astonishing reaction : approval by voters and acquiescence , if not support , among Republicans . Neither Mitt Romney nor GOP leaders in Congress have denounced the order . A poll by Bloomberg News found that nearly two-thirds of the public are in favor . And some courageous Republicans -- including influential former Mississippi Gov . Haley Barbour -- have endorsed the policy , if not the way it was issued , by partisan fiat . It 's no secret what 's behind this jockeying , by Democrats or Republicans : the outsized role the Latino vote is likely to play in November , determining the outcome in several swing states and perhaps the next president . But as significant in the past week has been the broader public 's easy acceptance of the Obama order , a new climate already creating new room to maneuver in Congress . Supreme Court mostly rejects Arizona immigration law ; gov says 'heart ' remains . The fight over who should make immigration law , Washington or the states , is far from over . But today 's ruling , seemingly consistent with a new mood taking hold nationwide , is a stunning reversal of recent trends . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Tamar Jacoby .
Jennifer Jones : Many expected court to favor Arizona law . She says ruling ties in with emerging mood toward immigration in states , nationally . She says unlike in previous years , voters are in no hurry on immigration reform . Jones : With ` ` Dreamers '' movement , Latinos gaining political power , is trend changing ?