Senator Lankford Joins Senate Amicus Brief in Supreme Court Case Challenging Obama Administration’s Immigration Executive Actions

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and 43 other Senate Republicans filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in the case of the United States v. Texas, in opposition to the Obama Administration’s November 2014 executive actions on immigration. Twenty-five other states, including Oklahoma, joined Texas in the lawsuit. 

The brief argues that only Congress has the authority to write immigration law, not the Executive branch. The President’s action represents a clear constitutional overreach. In February 2015, the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas blocked parts of the program. In November, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the decision. The United States Supreme Court agreed to take the case in January and plans to hear oral arguments on April 18, 2016.

“Our Founding documents clearly separate the powers of government between the three branches and the President’s executive actions on immigration are a clear violation of this basic constitutional principal,” said Lankford. “Immigration is an incredibly contentious issue, it is essential to make any and all changes in the daylight of legislative debate, not in executive fiat. Our Senate amicus brief clearly and simply asserts that Congress retains the sole authority to write our nation’s laws.”

In addition to Senator Lankford and Leader McConnell, they were joined by Senators Alexander, Barrasso, Blunt, Boozman, Capito, Cassidy, Coats, Cochran, Corker, Cornyn, Cotton, Crapo, Cruz, Daines, Enzi, Fischer, Graham, Grassley, Hatch, Hoeven, Inhofe, Isakson, Johnson, Lee, McCain, Moran, Paul, Perdue, Risch, Roberts, Rounds, Rubio, Sasse, Scott, Sessions, Shelby, Sullivan, Thune, Tillis, Vitter and Wicker.  

The amicus brief can be found HERE.