The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected without comment the Obama administration’s request to rehear the legal case over the president’s executive actions on immigration when it has a full complement of justices.
The court deadlocked 4-4 in June over the case, which centers on President Barack Obama’s plans to temporarily shield from deportation millions of immigrants living without legal status in the U.S. The late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat remains vacant.
Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the court’s decision.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund decried the court’s rejection.
“It is disappointing that the court has declined to remedy its failure to do its job earlier this year when it deadlocked 4-4; its continued refusal to rule in this critical case leaves the nation in limbo about the legality of President Obama’s initiative, which follows similar acts of discretion by many of his predecessors, including, most notably, Ronald Reagan,” Thomas Saenz, MALDEF’s president and general counsel, said in a prepared statement.
The Obama administration had said its request for a rehearing was “consistent with historical practice and reflects the need for prompt and definitive resolution of this important case.”
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