Full Breakdown
Trump Wins Appeals Court Rulings on TPS Terminations for Ethiopia and South Sudan
8/1/2026, 1:43:26 AM
Core Event: Appeals Court Overturns District Court Blocks
A three-judge panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed district-court orders that had temporarily halted the Trump administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for migrants from Ethiopia and South Sudan. The panel—Judges Julie Rikelman and Seth Aframe, both appointed by President Joe Biden, and Judge Joshua Dunlap, appointed by President Donald Trump—found the lower courts’ injunctions conflicted with the Supreme Court’s decision in *Mullin v. Doe*, which bars courts from blocking TPS terminations on non-constitutional grounds.
Background & Context: TPS and Recent Litigation
TPS provides temporary refuge to nationals of countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions. In June, the Supreme Court ruled in *Mullin* that courts may not impede a Secretary of Homeland Security’s TPS termination absent a constitutional claim. Following that precedent, district judges Brian Murphy and Patti Saris issued separate orders last week to preserve TPS for Ethiopia and South Sudan while they considered whether the plaintiffs could amend their complaints to raise constitutional arguments.
Official Statements & Responses
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) General Counsel James Percival posted on X that the district judges were engaged in “mutiny against the Supreme Court” and described the rulings as “open defiance” of the justices’ decision. Iowa Solicitor General Eric Wessan said the First Circuit correctly applied the *Mullin* precedent and that district courts should not “second guess TPS terminations.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “These are clear wins for President Trump following his big win at the U.S. Supreme Court, explaining that district courts are not supposed to second guess TPS terminations, and even as this plays out, we're moving towards the end of this litigation because district courts should not be hearing these disputes, and that's what the Supreme Court said,” — Solicitor General Eric Wessan
- “If they want to let the plaintiffs amend their complaint, they're allowed to do that, but in the meantime, TPS is over," Wessan told Fox News Digital.” — Solicitor General Eric Wessan
