
On Thursday morning the Supreme Court ruled 4-4 on an immigration executive order from President Barack Obama that would have offered temporary relief to millions of immigrants, upholding a lower court injunction against the plan.
Obama Administration immigration plan remains blocked by 4-4 Supreme Court tie. Lower court injunction remains in place.
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) June 23, 2016
However, the deadlock ruling in the case of United States v Texas, did not preclude the possibility of a future appeal if an Obama-appointed justice were to be added to the Court or after the 2016 presidential election, if Hillary Clinton were to be elected President.
There will be a later appeal, so Obama immigration policy will be revived if Clinton wins and a democratic nominee provides a 5th vote
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) June 23, 2016
SCOTUS has rehearing requests in other 4-4 ties, maybe waiting for a 9th J, so the Administration will have to consider that in immigration.
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) June 23, 2016
The Court’s opinion contained just one sentence: “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court.”
In November of 2014, after the midterm elections, President Obama announced a Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) executive order that would give temporary immigration relief and work permits to about five million undocumented immigrants, most of whom were parents of DREAMers or legal permanent residents. The order had also expanded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was announced by President Obama in 2012. The 2012 DACA program was not affected by this latest decision, just the expansion of it.
A few weeks after DAPA was announced, 24 states, led by Texas, sued the Obama administration.
On Thursday afternoon, the White House tweeted out a video clip of President Obama responding to the Court’s decision.
“Immigration is not something to fear…What makes us American is our shared commitment to an ideal” —@POTUS: https://t.co/9P7ZJ312W0
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 23, 2016
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