|
 Twenty-six Republican-governed states led by Texas sued to stop
Obama's 2014 plan to protect millions of illegal immigrants from
deportation. Lower courts blocked the executive action, prompting
the Justice Department to launch an appeal to the Supreme Court on
Nov. 20.
Texas had asked for 30 days in addition to the usual 30 days to file
its brief in response. The court granted eight extra days. If the
court had given Texas all 30 days, a decision in the case could have
been delayed until after Obama leaves office in January 2017.
The justices will decide whether to hear the case after receiving
the response from Texas. If they take it up, it would become one of
the centerpiece cases of the court's term, along with a challenge to
a restrictive Texas abortion law.
The Obama administration argued Texas and the other states had no
legal basis to challenge Obama's action. The states contended Obama
overstepped his presidential powers by bypassing Congress and acting
unilaterally.
[to top of second column] |
Obama's executive order would let up to 4.7 million illegal
immigrants live in the United States without threat of deportation.
It was directed at people with no criminal records whose children
are U.S. citizens.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
