On Tuesday, a panel of judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to lift a hold and let President Obama's immigration reforms go forward while litigation continues, with Texas and 25 other states suing to block Obama's executive orders and promote deportation as a national policy.
What's next in this legal battle?
... administration officials on Wednesday said the decision not to ask the Supreme Court to allow the program to move forward immediately reflects a practical reality: Even if the justices had given the green light to begin implementing the program, the continuing legal fight would probably have scared away most of the undocumented immigrants who could apply for it.
In a statement, officials from the Justice Department said they disagreed with a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that continues to block the president’s immigration actions. But they said the government will fight on the merits of the program, rather than push for permission to carry it out immediately.
Oral arguments at the appeals court are scheduled for the week of July 6, but whoever wins at that level (and the Fifth Circuit is a very conservative one, remember), the fight is likely to go to the Supreme Court, which means it would not be resolved until 2016, which in turn means it would likely be a major issue in the presidential campaign.