Supreme Court divided on Obama’s immigration actions

WASHINGTON, DC — The Supreme Court appeared closely divided along ideological lines during oral arguments Monday in a case that could torpedo the Obama administration’s controversial executive actions on immigration. The four conservative justices questioned Obama’s authority to use executive actions to prevent 4 million undocumented immigrants from being deported. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito seemed particularly concerned with language in the administration’s guidance that said the program’s recipients would be “lawfully present,” but in violation of immigration law. The liberals on the bench seemed sympathetic to the administration’s arguments. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted at one point that “priorities” had to be set given there are 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country, and suggested that was what the President was trying to achieve.