The court ruled 5-4 that former Trump Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ abrupt termination two years ago of a program known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, was “arbitrary and capricious.” The Department of Homeland Security has overseen the program. Lawsuits blocked its dismantling for more than two years.
“We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the ruling. “We address only whether the [Department of Homeland Security] complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action. … That dual failure raises doubts about whether the agency appreciated the scope of its discretion or exercised that discretion in a reasonable manner.”