A federal appeals court vacated an injunction entered against the Trump administration’s actions surrounding anti-ICE protests in Chicago.
In a 2-1 decision, the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals found U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis’ order to be “overbroad.” The initial order barred agents from using tear gas or other measures against protesters unless they were acting upon an immediate threat.
In October, protesters and journalists sued federal agencies, arguing that the Trump administration violated their First and Fourth Amendment rights by using tear gas and chemical agents. “The district court agreed with the plaintiffs and entered a sweeping preliminary injunction regulating all federal immigration enforcement efforts district-wide,” the federal appeals court explained in its ruling.
“The district court’s injunction enjoins an expansive range of defendants, including the entire Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, as well as anyone acting in concert with them,” Circuit Judges Michael Brennan and Michael Scudder Jr. wrote. “The district court required these defendants to submit all current and future internal guidance, policies, and directives regarding efforts to implement the order for the court’s review.”
“The court’s injunction also impermissibly infringes on separation of powers principles,” the ruling adds. “It effectively established the district court as the supervisor of all Executive Branch activity in the city of Chicago—a role another federal court of appeals has found problematic.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the win as a “huge legal win.”
“President Trump is trying to protect American citizens while local elected officials REFUSE to do so,” she wrote, noting that DOJ attorneys were “proud to argue this case. We will continue fighting and WINNING for the President’s law-and-order agenda.”
