Summary: Obama’s last ditch effort during his Presidency to setup programs to help undocumented immigrants receive the proper work documentation was denied.
The Supreme Court rejected the Obama administration’s pleas to rehear the immigration executive action case. The rejection puts Obama’s attempt to create programs to help over 4 million undocumented immigrants on hold.
The programs would have given aid to undocumented immigrants that came forward to apply for programs that would qualify them for work authorization and related benefits. Last June the Supreme Court announced they were evenly divided on the case with a one-sentence ruling – no comments or dissents. The lower court opinion blocking the programs from moving forward was upheld.
Read Debate Over Obama’s Immigration Policies Head to Supreme Court.
Once again this summer, the Obama administration went to the Supreme Court asking for them to consider the case once there were nine members, whenever that time may be. The court denied the request despite acting Solicitor General Ian Gershengorn’s argument that they “should grant rehearing to provide for a decision by the court when it has a full complement of members, rather than allow a nonprecedential affirmance by an equally divided court to leave in place a nationwide injunction of such significance.”
See Backlog of Immigration Court Cases Hits Record High.
Texas and 25 other states challenged the programs on the basis that they represented an unauthorized abuse of presidential power. The case is now back before the District Court Judge in Texas but is unlikely to change. The 26 states are celebrating their win.
Do you think The Supreme Court should have agreed to rehear the case once a new member was appointed? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
To learn more about the progression of the case, read Obama’s Last Chance for Immigration Reform Rests with Supreme Court.
Photo: newyorker.com