Overview

• The order lifts U.S. District Judge Maame Frimpong’s July 11 restraining order that barred stops based on race, language, location or type of work across seven Southern California counties after the 9th Circuit declined to stay it.
• Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred that apparent ethnicity cannot alone create reasonable suspicion but said it may be a relevant factor when combined with other indicators, describing the encounters as brief status checks.
• Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, warning the unexplained ruling invites unconstitutional profiling that could sweep up U.S. citizens and lawful residents.
• DHS celebrated the decision and vowed to intensify operations, saying on X it would "FLOOD THE ZONE" in Los Angeles, while plaintiffs and the ACLU said they will press their class-action challenge with a hearing set for Sept. 24.
• The case remains active in lower courts, and a separate federal ruling finding the National Guard and Marines’ deployment in Los Angeles unlawful under the Posse Comitatus Act continues to stand.