Supreme Court declines to restore rule letting immigration judges pause some deportation cases

The brief, unsigned order had no noted dissents, SCOTUSblog reported. The rule, known as administrative closure, allowed immigration judges to set some cases aside temporarily.

Texas sued over the rule in June, and U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Wichita Falls approved a consent judgment between Texas and the Justice Department striking it down the same day the case was filed, according to SCOTUSblog. The 5th Circuit declined to block that judgment. Baltimore, New Haven, Columbus and the group Centro Legal de la Raza sought to defend the rule; their lawyer called the arrangement "egregious collusion." The Justice Department opposed their request.

Why it matters: Without the rule, immigration judges have less room to set cases aside while immigrants pursue other legal options, which could speed some deportation proceedings.