Posted on 03/05/2026 5:39:52 PM PST by CFW
A Chicago federal appeals court on Thursday vacated a lower court’s injunction placing use-of-force restrictions on immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz, calling it “constitutionally suspect” and questioning the manner in which the district judge dismissed the underlying suit.
The three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals was split 2-1, with Chief Judge Michael Brennan and Judge Michael Scudder in the majority and Judge Frank Easterbrook dissenting.
The ending of the Trump administration’s appeal was a foregone conclusion after U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis in January granted a motion by the plaintiffs to dismiss the underlying lawsuit.
But the 7th Circuit went beyond a mere dismissal of the appeal and ordered what’s known as “vacatur,” which essentially treats Ellis’ preliminary injunction ruling as though it never existed. In the 15-page majority opinion, the judges wrote that Ellis, “working on a highly compressed timeline … granted an overbroad, constitutionally suspect injunction.”
[snip]
The ruling officials ends a case brought by the Chicago Headline Club and other media groups, leading to a sweeping preliminary injunction by Ellis in November limiting the use of tear gas and other chemical munitions against members of the media and protesters, and also requiring agents to wear body cameras and clear identification.
[snip]
The plaintiffs moved to drop the suit in December following ominous signs from the 7th Circuit, which called Ellis’ order overbroad and a potential infringement on the separation of powers.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
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Now do the stupid PICA Act.
L
Legalese is opaque.
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