On June 5, 2009, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld an ordinance adopted by a Missouri city for the purpose of preventing illegal aliens from being employed within the city. The decision was a victory for WLF, which filed a brief supporting the ordinance. WLF argued that local governments are within their rights in passing ordinances designed to assist the federal government in enforcing immigration laws. The appeals court never reached that issue, because the plaintiff confined her appeal to a claim that the case belonged in state court and that the federal courts lacked jurisdiction to hear it. The appeals court rejected that jurisdictional claim. The challenged ordinance makes it unlawful for businesses located within the city to hire any worker not authorized to work in the United States. An employer found to have violated the ordinance risks the temporary loss of its business license until such time as it comes back into compliance with the ordinance.