President Donald Trump responded to the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision blocking his efforts to wind down the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program, saying it is proof the high court needs more conservative justices.
He added that he would be releasing an updated list of potential Supreme Court justice nominees, as he did during the 2016 presidential race.
Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal wing of the court in his majority opinion against the administration’s efforts to end DACA.
“We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies. ‘The wisdom’ of those decisions ‘is none of our concern,’” Roberts wrote. “We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action.
“Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients,” the chief justice continued.
“That dual failure raises doubts about whether the agency appreciated the scope of its discretion or exercised that discretion in a reasonable manner.”
Justice Clarence Thomas argued in his dissent that the ruling was politically expedient, but not legally sound.
