[author: Jenna Stras Baranko]
On December 3rd, seventeen states sued the U.S. in a Texas federal court over President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration. The states claim the President’s order is an unconstitutional exercise of power and seek to prevent the government from allowing millions of undocumented immigrants to stay in the U.S.
While President Obama and other White House officials have expressed confidence in their legal authority for releasing the new measures, the states’ lawsuit argues the President failed to comply with requirements the federal government must follow in issuing new rules and violated the Administrative Procedure Act.
The states currently taking action against the immigration initiatives, announced November 20th, are Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Mississippi and Maine.
Jenna is an Intern with the firm and is not a practicing attorney.
