Washington, DC – On news today that the U.S. Department of Justice filed for certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court to seek resolution of a dispute over President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program (DAPA), Constitutional Accountability Center issued the following reaction:

“The government’s decision to seek Supreme Court review of President Obama’s immigration action is welcome,” said CAC Appellate Counsel Brianne Gorod, a former clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer. “The Court can easily hear this case in the current Term, which is important given both the case’s significance and the fact that the lower courts have blocked the President’s action from going into effect. In fact, given the Court’s normal procedures, it would risk the appearance of engaging in politics if the Court didn’t hear the case this Term.”

“The Fifth Circuit dragged its heels,” said CAC Chief Counsel Elizabeth Wydra, “but the Supreme Court clearly has time to hear the case this Term and we look forward to seeing this critical question resolved by June.”

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Resources:

CAC’s “friend of the court” brief on behalf of a bipartisan group of former members of Congress, including Ray LaHood, Jim Leach, and Henry Waxman: http://theusconstitution.org/cases/texas-v-united-states-5th-cir 

“Time for the Fifth Circuit to rule,” Brianne Gorod, The Hill, October 21, 2015: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/judicial/257487-time-for-the-fifth-circuit-to-rule 

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Constitutional Accountability Center (www.theusconstitution.org) is a think tank, public interest law firm, and action center dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history.

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