Overview

• On July 4, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss issued a temporary stay barring eight migrants from being deported to South Sudan while he reviews a new constitutional habeas challenge.
• The Supreme Court’s July 3 order voided both of Judge Brian Murphy’s injunctions and authorized the resumption of the pending removal flight.
• The eight migrants, all convicted of serious crimes in the United States, have been detained at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti and have no ties to South Sudan.
• Their attorneys contend the planned removals would violate procedural due process and constitute cruel or unusual punishment under the Fifth and Eighth Amendments by exposing the men to torture or death.
• The case underscores a broader clash over the Trump administration’s third-country removal policy and the judiciary’s role in enforcing non-refoulement obligations and separation-of-powers checks.