The Texas-led coalition of 26 states has earned another victory against the Obama administration. The president’s executive amnesty program may find its last hope in the Supreme Court.
Back in February, a District Court judge issued an injunction that halted the administration from further issuing any legalization applications. It was quickly appealed by Department of Justice attorneys within the New Orleans Appeals Court.
The DOJ attorneys argued the administration would be harmed by the injunction and also sought a secondary ruling that limited the injunction to the states comprised of the coalition.
In its 2-1 decision, the Court denied both. The 70-page opinion detailed that Texas and other states had sufficiently argued that a continuation of the executive amnesty program placed new and undue burdens on state finances in terms of compliance.
According to the NY Times, a spokesman for the White House accused the court of choosing to “misrepresent the facts” while Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hailed the decision as “victory for those committed to preserving the rule of law in America.”
Although it may be possible for a review by the full 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Obama administration is expected to appeal the decision directly in the Supreme Court. Should this event take place, it will join both the Obamacare and EPA challenges and become a third court decision that threatened the presidents legacy.
