Full Breakdown
Biden Judge Blocks Ethiopian TPS Termination Amid Supreme Court Clash
7/26/2026, 2:23:19 AM
Core Event
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy of the District of Massachusetts issued an administrative stay in *African Communities Together v. Mullin*, temporarily preserving Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopian nationals. The order came as the court considered whether plaintiffs could pursue constitutional claims after the Supreme Court’s recent decision that limited lower courts’ authority to block Department of Homeland Security (DHS) actions on TPS designations.
Background & Context
TPS was granted to Ethiopians in 2022 because armed conflict and a worsening humanitarian crisis made return unsafe. The Trump administration later moved to end the designation, arguing that conditions no longer justified protection. In December 2025, DHS officials announced the planned termination, setting an expiration date for early 2026. The Supreme Court’s June 25 ruling in *Mullin v. Doe* (6-3) narrowed the ability of district courts to block DHS decisions under the Administrative Procedure Act, though it left open the possibility of constitutional challenges.
Official Statements & Responses
DHS General Counsel James Percival responded on X, accusing Judge Murphy of “mutiny” against the Supreme Court and blaming the judge for leaving ICE officers stranded at a U.S. base in Djibouti, where they faced malaria risk and nearby rocket threats. The Department also highlighted that the stay interrupts the agency’s wind-down schedule.
Senior U.S. District Judge Patti Saris, also in Massachusetts, issued a parallel stay for South Sudan TPS, describing her order as a temporary measure to maintain the status quo while the case proceeds.
Criticism & Opposition
Conservative legal activist Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project, argued that district judges lack authority after the Supreme Court’s clarification and called for the administration to disregard the orders. Political commentator Ann Coulter echoed this view, urging the president to honor his constitutional oath and ignore what she termed “puny little district court judges.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “Remember when that district judge rerouted a plane with child rapists headed for South Sudan? The judge made ICE land in Djibouti to face Malaria and terrorist rocket attacks from Yemen,” — General Counsel James Percival
- “These Democrat operatives in robes do not have the power to do this,” — Mike Davis, a conservative legal activist and founder of the Article III Project
- “These puny little district court judges have been overruled so many times by the supreme court, especially on immigration, I think it's time for the president to take his constitutional oath seriously, and ignore them,” — Ann Coulter
