General Discussion

The Supreme Court on Friday blocked President Donald Trump from moving forward with deportations under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act for a group of immigrants in northern Texas, siding with Venezuelans who feared they were poised for imminent removal under the sweeping wartime authority.

The decision is a significant loss for Trump, who wants to use the law to speed deportations – and avoid the kind of review normally required before removing people from the country. But the decision is also temporary and the underlying legal fight over the president’s invocation has continued simultaneously in multiple federal courts across the country.

The justices sent the case back to an appeals court to decide the underlying questions in the case, including whether the president’s move is legal and if it is, how much notice the migrants targeted under the act should receive.

Two conservative justices – Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito – publicly noted their dissent.

This story is breaking and will be updated.