Regulation Temporarily Blocked, Appeal Pending
The DOJ emphasized that pausing the case would not prejudice either side, since U.S. District Judge Daniel M. Traynor had already temporarily blocked the rule in December. The administration later amended the regulations in June — while an appeal to the Eighth Circuit was still pending — effectively suspending the rule for now.
With the rule already on hold, government lawyers argue that continuing the litigation during a shutdown would waste resources and violate funding laws.
Representation and Next Steps
The federal government is represented by Brett A. Shumate, Eric B. Beckenhauer, and R. Charlie Merritt of the DOJ’s Civil Division.
Kansas and the other plaintiff states are represented by their respective state attorneys general.
Representatives for both sides did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
As the DOJ DACA Health Suit stalls amid Washington’s fiscal standoff, the fate of health care access for thousands of Dreamers remains in legal limbo — suspended between a courtroom and a Congress at odds.
