The Washington Times: The Supreme Court kicked off its new year Monday by rejecting President Obama’s attempt to revive his deportation amnesty, leaving stand a June ruling that left a nationwide injunction in place and leaves the big immigration questions up to voters in November.
Without comment, the justices refused Mr. Obama’s request for a rehearing of the case, on which the justices had deadlocked 4-4.
Immigrant rights groups howled in protest, and said they’ll try to rally voters to punish Donald Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, and to back Democrats who they hope will ensure a more liberal bench is in place before the issue returns to the high court.
But for now, Mr. Obama’s plans to grant three-year work permits and stays of deportation to as many as 5 million illegal immigrants remain blocked.
“The Obama administration’s unprecedented attempt to rewrite federal immigration law failed yet again today,” said Carrie Severino, chief counsel at the Judicial Crisis Network. “It’s fitting that the Texas immigration case, which typifies this administration’s relentless overreach, met its end in a wordless denial by the Supreme Court.”
The White House said Mr. Obama was “disappointed,” but said it will push ahead with the rest of his immigration plans. Spokesman Josh Earnest said the ruling does not affect the enforcement priorities Mr. Obama decreed for immigration agents, which effectively leaves more than 9 million of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants out of any danger of being deported.
