The 26 states suing the Obama administration for its executive actions on immigration have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to ignore the federal government’s petition for certiorari, or further review of the case.
Lead prosecutor Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton submitted a brief to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, to ask the high court to uphold a federal appeals court’s November decision to suspend President Obama’s attempt to grant lawful presence to more than 4 million illegal immigrants.
“The president alone does not have the authority to grant millions of illegal immigrants a host of benefits — like Social Security and Medicare — which should be reserved for lawful citizens. Rewriting national immigration law requires the full and careful consideration of Congress, and Texas will continue to fight this affront to the rule of law,” the brief states.
Last January, 26 states collectively sued the federal government for disregarding Congress’ legislative authority over immigration policy in order to grant lawful presence and welfare benefits to nearly one-third of the total illegal immigration population.
A total of three courts have ruled in favor of the Texas-led state coalition.
In November, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in support of the states, prompting the Department of Justice’s request for the Supreme Court to review the ruling.
The highest court is expected to decide in early 2016 whether it will review the case this term.
