US Supreme Court refuses to revive Biden-era rule that let immigration judges shelve deportation cases, rejecting Democratic cities' appeal

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday shut out Democratic-led cities that had sought to defend a Biden administration rule allowing immigration judges to temporarily set aside deportation cases through a practice known as "administrative closure." Issued without explanation in a single sentence, the order drew no public dissent from any justice, ending an emergency appeal brought by Baltimore, Columbus and New Haven.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit in June 2025, and the Trump administration settled on the same day — committing to scrap the discretion policy immediately upon the lawsuit's filing.

Critics contended that Texas and the Trump administration had coordinated to circumvent the public rulemaking process that would ordinarily be required to formally dismantle government policy.

Administrative closure had been applied in hundreds of thousands of cases over decades, among them those involving crime victims and juveniles who had separate proceedings pending.