Obama Loses Second Bid to Implement Overhaul of Immigration

Bloomberg reports:

The U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled Tuesday in a 2-1 decision that the federal government wasn’t likely to win the appeal. It refused to lift a federal judge’s injunction banning the changes from taking effect before the litigation is resolved.

Republican lawmakers have seized on the executive orders, accusing Obama of ignoring the Constitution and making the move to shore up Latino support for Democrats in 2016.

The Senate confirmation of Loretta Lynch as attorney general was held up in part over opposition to the initiative, and House Republicans threatened to withhold funds for the Department of Homeland Security over it, and passed a bill just before funding was set to expire.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who filed the challenge, and the White House have vowed to take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court. That might extend the litigation into next year.

“If the Supreme Court doesn’t take it up until June 2016, that puts us right in the middle of the presidential election,” Michael Dorf, a Cornell University law professor following the case, said in an interview before the decision.

Strongman Obama suffers a defeat.