Hard task as conservative judges dominate bench.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: The Obama administration took drastic measures Friday in urging a federal appeals court to overturn a previous ruling that has blocked the government from implementing the president’s executive actions to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation and grant them work permits.
According to The Washington Post, in a rare oral argument before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, Justice Department lawyers argued that federal judge Andrew Hanen of Texas erred when he halted President Obama’s deferred-action program as he considers a lawsuit filed by 26 states.
Administration officials have acknowledged that they face a difficult task in the 5th Circuit, perhaps the nation’s most conservative appellate court. The three-judge panel has two Republican appointees and one Obama appointee.
“It’s important to remember this is not just about a lawsuit,†Marielena Hincapié, the executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, told the Post. “It’s about individual members of the community that have deep ties and their ability to achieve stability, dignity and respect. We want to lift up that human face and not let it get lost in the legal proceedings.â€
David Strauss, a professor of law at the University of Chicago, was among a plethora of lawyers who signed a letter supporting President Obama’s actions on immigration, but he admitted to the Post that the administration is facing a tough road in the 5th Circuit.
“There are conservative judges who think this is an aggressive abuse of authority by a president who needs to be reined in,†Strauss stated.