Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is slamming the government for asking the court for repeated emergency rulings, and she’s criticizing her colleagues for granting them.
Sotomayor’s scathing remarks come in her dissent to a ruling Friday. The 5-4 decision allows the so-called “public charge” rule to take effect nationwide. It makes it harder for immigrants to get citizenship if they rely on programs like food stamps.
Sotomayor isn’t just voicing opposition to the order. She’s also arguing the case should have played out in lower courts before reaching the nation’s highest court. But, the Trump administration says it has to keep sending cases to the Supreme Court. It says lower judges are issuing broad rulings that can affect states not involved in the original lawsuit.
Meanwhile, the high court is behind on its regular workload. it has yet to release opinions on high-profile cases that involve abortion, LGBTQ rights, and the second amendment.