The United States Supreme Court, in a decisive 7-2 ruling, has reasserted its authority by overruling District Judge Brian Murphy, who attempted to defy the Court's previous decision permitting the resumption of deportations to third countries. The case, which unfolded on Thursday, centered around the Trump administration's policy to expedite the removal of illegal immigrants by deporting them to countries not specified in their initial deportation orders.
Judge Murphy, appointed by former President Joe Biden, had issued an order preventing the deportation of eight illegal immigrants to South Sudan. This was in direct opposition to the high court's June 23 ruling which stayed a prior lower court injunction against third-country removals. The Supreme Court's majority opinion, in no uncertain terms, stated, "The May 21 remedial order cannot now be used to enforce an injunction that our stay rendered unenforceable."
This legal battle highlights the ongoing tensions between different branches of government over immigration policy. After the Supreme Court's ruling lifting the injunction, the Trump administration moved forward with its planned enforcement actions. However, within hours, Judge Murphy asserted that his previous ruling still stood, leading to an emergency motion from the administration on June 24. The motion accused Murphy of a "lawless act of defiance" that threatened diplomatic relations and obstructed the executive branch's enforcement capabilities.
Justice Elena Kagan, despite her dissent in the original ruling, sided with the majority in this latest decision. She emphasized the binding nature of Supreme Court decisions, stating that lower courts must comply, irrespective of personal disagreement. The Daily Caller quotes her underscoring that "once the high court rules, its decisions are binding—even for those who disagree with them."
Only Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, with Sotomayor voicing concern for the lives at risk. She criticized the majority for relying on what she considered scant precedent, arguing for the district court's urgency in protecting lives from potential torture or death in the deportees' destination countries.
The Supreme Court's latest decision not only reinforces the Trump administration's immigration enforcement strategy but also serves as a public and rare rebuke of a lower court judge's conduct. The ruling eliminates any ambiguity regarding the hierarchy of judicial authority and the supremacy of the high court's decisions in the United States legal system.
