Supreme Court won't let Florida enforce controversial immigration law
Source: USA Today
Updated July 9, 2025, 3:13 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON − Florida can't enforce a controversial new law targeting undocumented immigrants entering Florida, the Supreme Court said on July 9 in rejecting an emergency appeal from the state. The decision leaves in place a lower court's pause on the law while it's being challenged.
The law, which made it a felony for certain immigrants to enter Florida, was passed to help carry out President Donald Trumps immigration policies.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told the Supreme Court the law is needed to protect residents from "the deluge of illegal immigration." "If a State's police powers are powers at all, they allow a State to criminalize harms destructive to the community," he wrote in the appeal.
Seventeen states told the Supreme Court they're backing Florida's position as did the Trump administration.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/09/supreme-court-florida-immigration-law/84450434007/
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/070925zr_6537.pdf
Shadow docket.

JMCKUSICK
(3,276 posts)as we do about the ones we hate.
They've made so many unsigned rulings that have changed the legal landscape of this country. For better or worse, these cases all need daylight.
BumRushDaShow
(157,285 posts)is that Thomas is in charge of the 11th Circuit emergency requests (and FL is under the 11th Circuit) and his name was of course mentioned in the order (I believe they would have needed at least 4 of them to agree to certiorari to hear the case).
onenote
(45,490 posts)Interestingly, Thomas could have granted the stay unilaterally and not referred it to the court. That he didn't and that there are no dissents noted indicates that this was unanimous.
Denials of stay request typically are not accompanied by opinions.
BumRushDaShow
(157,285 posts)onenote
(45,490 posts)The US District Court issued a preliminary injunction against the Florida statute. On June 17, Florida AG Uthmeier filed an application for stay pending appeal of the district court decision to the 11th Circuit and for an administrative stay pending a decision on his application for stay. It was filed with Thomas, the SCOTUS justice assigned to hear stay requests from courts in the 11th Circuit. Thomas did not act immediately; rather he waited until June 24 to set a deadline of July 2 for the other side to respond to Uthmeier's application. He could have but did not grant the stay unilaterally or order an administrative stay while the application for stay pending appeal was being considered. After additional briefing by both sides on July 5, 7, and 8, Thomas referred the matter to the entire court today, and later in the day the court issued its order denying the application.
BumRushDaShow
(157,285 posts)as have been some of the rulings for FL's insane laws.