Supreme Court Declines To Address Trump Administration DACA Challenge

In another blow from the courts to the Trump administration, the United States Supreme Court has declined to take up a case that deals with DACA. The court stated that an appeals court should first hear the case. The Trump administration had looked to skip going through the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California.

Two lower courts had ruled on DACA, preventing the Trump administration from outright ending the program this March. The Supreme Court did not rule on the validity of the administration's claims, only that the administration needs to follow the proper legal process.

The DACA program is scheduled to end in early March on orders from the Trump administration. This latest ruling from the Supreme Court now leaves the program in limbo, and a lot of uncertainty for those enrolled in the program.

The White House responded to the ruling, saying, "The DACA program — which provides work permits and myriad government benefits to illegal immigrants en masse — is clearly unlawful. The district judge's decision to unilaterally re-impose a program that Congress had explicitly and repeatedly rejected is a usurpation of legislative authority...We look forward to having this case expeditiously heard by the appeals court and, if necessary, the Supreme Court, where we fully expect to prevail."

Legal experts indicated that the ruling by the Supreme Court was expected, as justices very rarely deal with an appeal when asked to bypass the process of seeking said appeal from a lower court first. It's anticipated that the appeal process in the 9th Circuit Court could last for a least a year.

Congress can act on the matter to whether extend the DACA program, or offer up some alternative for a path to citizenship. Either of these would events most likely lead to the appeal case being dismissed.

Source(s): NPR, NBC News

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