Articles of Impeachment Filed Against U.S. District Judge
A federal judge has once again stepped into the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, and this time, some Republicans in Congress are reaching for the impeachment lever. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee has filed an impeachment resolution against U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs after she temporarily blocked the administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for Somali […]
A federal judge has once again stepped into the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, and this time, some Republicans in Congress are reaching for the impeachment lever.
Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee has filed an impeachment resolution against U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs after she temporarily blocked the administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals.
Because apparently, in Washington, even the word “temporary” now comes with an asterisk, three appeals, and a federal injunction.
Burroughs, who serves on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, issued a stay Friday preventing the Trump administration from terminating the protections while a lawsuit moves forward.
The lawsuit, brought by African Communities Together, alleges that the administration’s decision was motivated by racial discrimination.
That allegation has not been proven.
The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, says Burroughs is standing in the way of lawful executive authority.
“There is no serious debate about what is going on in these cases—defiance, obstruction, and delay,” DHS General Counsel James Percival wrote on X.
Well, that is not exactly the language of a department thrilled with the judge’s reasoning.
Ogles was even less diplomatic.
His impeachment resolution accuses Burroughs of having “defied the authority of both Federal law and the Supreme Court.” He argues that the judge tried to sidestep a recent Supreme Court ruling that limited the power of lower courts to block decisions involving Temporary Protected Status.
The Supreme Court ruling came in June and significantly narrowed the ability of federal judges to interfere with TPS terminations.
But here comes the legal fine print.
The plaintiffs amended their complaint after that ruling, and Burroughs based her latest order on the revised allegations. In other words, the Supreme Court closed one door, the challengers found another, and the district court decided to hold it open.