Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 3/08

[SVPete]

Seventh Circuit Takes a Blowtorch to Order Issued by Abusive, Anti-ICE Chicago Judge

https://redstate.com/streiff/2026/03/07/seventh-circuit-takes-a-blowtorch-to-order-issued-by-abusive-anti-ice-chicago-judge-n2199974

A panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals scorched a Canadian-born, Obama-appointed judge for her heavy-handed and illegal imposition of operating procedures on all federal officers operating in Illinois. The majority opinion said the order imposed by Judge Sara Ellis, "impermissibly infringes on separation of powers principles. It effectively established the district court as the supervisor of all Executive Branch activity in the city of Chicago." It also hinted that her legal maneuvering was calculated to appear to dismiss an unconstitutional order while preserving the ability of future litigants to breathe new life into the suit.

In early October 2025, a group of protesters and journalists sued a host of federal defendants. They believed officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) violated their First and Fourth Amendment rights by using tear gas and other chemical agents to break up protests without justification. The district court agreed with the plaintiffs and entered a sweeping preliminary injunction regulating all federal immigration enforcement efforts districtwide. The government promptly appealed that order.
...
Three days after plaintiffs filed this lawsuit, the district court entered a sweeping temporary restraining order not limited to the Broadview facility. It enjoined all law enforcement officers in the Northern District of Illinois, as well as federal agencies and the Secretary of the DHS, from using certain crowd control tactics and tools. It also required the defendants to regularly inform the court of its efforts at implementing the injunction.