Supreme Court Reinstates Trump Third-Country Deportations and Will Hear Case in December

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants to countries to which they have no prior connection, blocking a lower appeals court ruling that had halted the practice on the grounds that affected individuals were not given a proper opportunity to raise safety or human rights concerns as required under federal immigration law. The court's three liberal justices dissented from the emergency order, which marked the third time the high court has sided with the administration on this issue on a temporary basis.

The court also agreed to hear the case for full arguments in December, placing a high-profile immigration dispute on its merits docket and setting up a definitive ruling on whether migrants facing removal to third countries must receive a meaningful chance to object before being sent there.

Separately on Tuesday, a federal court blocked the Trump administration's attempt to withhold counterterrorism funds from states that do not adopt certain election reforms, and a federal judge declined to pause sanctions he had imposed against the administration in a dispute involving IRS records. A U.S. appeals court was also weighing whether to open a contempt investigation into the administration over earlier deportation flights that had proceeded despite court orders.