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DonViejo

(60,536 posts) Mon Jun 4, 2018, 09:49 AM Jun 2018

Court sides with Trump administration but doesn't punish attorneys in immigrant abortion case

Source: The Hill

BY LYDIA WHEELER - 06/04/18 09:45 AM EDT

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the Trump administration's request to toss out a lower court ruling that allowed an undocumented immigrant teen in federal custody to receive an abortion.

The court ordered the lower court to dismiss the case as moot since the teen has already had the abortion.

The Department of Justice had asked the court not only to vacate the ruling from U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, but to punish the attorneys for the plaintiff in the case either directly or through a referral to their respective state bars.

The government argued in briefs that it was misled by the opposing lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union for sneaking the teen off in the early morning hours — 4:15 a.m. — to get an abortion before the government could appeal the court’s ruling. But the justices decided not to punish the attorneys. In their five-page opinion, the justices said "lawyers have ethical obligations to their clients and not all communication breakdowns constitute misconduct."

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390525-court-sides-with-trump-administration-but-doesnt-punish-attorneys-in

One sentence left in the story: There was no noted dissent from the court’s decision.

5 replies

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Highlight:

Court sides with Trump administration but doesn't punish attorneys in immigrant abortion case (Original Post) DonViejo Jun 2018 OP

Don't see why the attorneys should be punished bucolic_frolic Jun 2018 #1

Chilling. mountain grammy Jun 2018 #2

Wow...I wonder if rump had anything to do w/ this, to punish the ACLU? I wouldn't be SWBTATTReg Jun 2018 #4

It's also a hollow victory. They didn't rule on merits. bitterross Jun 2018 #3

"the lower court's ruling was not in favor of the government and that still stands." BumRushDaShow Jun 2018 #5

bucolic_frolic

(43,190 posts)

1. Don't see why the attorneys should be punished

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Jun 4, 2018, 09:54 AM

Jun 2018

If a court says something is legal, even for 15 minutes, people will act accordingly if they can.

mountain grammy

(26,624 posts)

2. Chilling.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Jun 4, 2018, 09:56 AM

Jun 2018

Government argued to punish ACLU attorneys..

"lawyers have ethical obligations to their clients and not all communication breakdowns constitute misconduct." wonder how long that'll hold.

SWBTATTReg

(22,143 posts)

4. Wow...I wonder if rump had anything to do w/ this, to punish the ACLU? I wouldn't be

Reply to mountain grammy (Reply #2)

Mon Jun 4, 2018, 11:29 AM

Jun 2018

surprised. I expect that they'll (rump's and sessions' DOJ) will find other ways to punish the opposition.

bitterross

(4,066 posts)

3. It's also a hollow victory. They didn't rule on merits.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Mon Jun 4, 2018, 10:19 AM

Jun 2018

The court simply dismissed the case because the abortion had already been performed. They didn't rule on whether or not the government had the right to get in the way.

Looks like they also gave other attorneys the go-ahead to sneak their clients off if they want. Not to mention, the lower court's ruling was not in favor of the government and that still stands.

Not really a victory for evil this time.

BumRushDaShow

(129,111 posts)

5. "the lower court's ruling was not in favor of the government and that still stands."