The Obama Administration late Friday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to find that Arizona’s law penalizing employers who hire illegal immigrants is pre-empted by federal law.

The Court asked for the views of the Office of Solicitor General last November. The case, already controversial within the nation’s business community, drew increased attention as speculation heightened that Solicitor General Elena Kagan was a leading contender to fill a potential Supreme Court vacancy. Political and academic observers viewed the government’s response as a possible window into how it would regard Arizona’s most recent law authorizing police to arrest suspected illegal immigrants as well as into Kagan’s own views.