A Biden-appointed federal judge, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy of the District of Massachusetts, has issued an administrative stay in African Communities Together v. Mullin, temporarily preserving Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for Ethiopian nationals while the court considers whether plaintiffs may pursue constitutional claims in light of the Supreme Court’s June ruling.

Background

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Mullin v. Doe significantly narrowed lower courts’ authority to block Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decisions designating or terminating TPS. Despite this, Judge Murphy’s ruling drew a swift response from DHS General Counsel James Percival, who accused him of ‘mutiny’ against the Supreme Court.

The litigation began after then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem determined in December 2025 that conditions in Ethiopia no longer justified TPS and announced the designation would terminate. Under the department’s notice, Ethiopia’s TPS designation was set to expire after a 60-day wind-down period, with protections ending on Feb. 13, 2026, before Judge Murphy intervened.

Reaction

Conservative legal activist Mike Davis and commentator Ann Coulter have called for the Trump administration to ignore the lower courts’ ruling, citing the Supreme Court’s decision as the final authority.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.