--- title: President Obama Addresses Supreme Court Immigration Ruling description: President Obama addressed reporters after a Supreme Court tie vote effectively blocked his 2014 immigration plan canonical: https://time.com/4380019/president-obama-supreme-court-immigration-decision/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-23T16:58:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:29:48.165Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Obama Says Supreme Court Immigration Decision Is a Setback og:description: But Obama remains hopeful the Supreme Court will eventually change course og:url: https://time.com/4380019/president-obama-supreme-court-immigration-decision/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt254fa075f1afeba1/6988992d3c1639099045dc4e/obama-supreme-court-immigration.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Supreme Court Rules On Major Cases og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Obama Says Supreme Court Immigration Decision Is a Setback twitter:description: But Obama remains hopeful the Supreme Court will eventually change course twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt254fa075f1afeba1/6988992d3c1639099045dc4e/obama-supreme-court-immigration.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama Says Supreme Court Immigration Decision Is a Setback > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8dc73b2a-b1ce-40be-916d-20e774418efc&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8dc73b2a-b1ce-40be-916d-20e774418efc&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=8dc73b2a-b1ce-40be-916d-20e774418efc&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8dc73b2a-b1ce-40be-916d-20e774418efc&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Supreme Court Ties on Immigration, Killing Obama's Reform Plan [Watch (HLS stream): Supreme Court Ties on Immigration, Killing Obama's Reform Plan](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Jk3YNsYI.m3u8) (1:10)  _Published 2016-06-23. The Supreme Court tied in its decision about President Obama's immigration policy, upholding a lower court's ruling that said he doesn't have the authority to carry out his plan without Congressional approval._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 23, 2016 4:58 PM UTC The Supreme Court tied in its decision about President Obama's immigration policy, upholding a lower court's ruling that said he doesn't have the authority to carry out his plan without Congressional approval. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 23, 2016 4:58 PM UTC President Obama said Thursday the [Supreme Court’s decision in _U.S. v. Texas_](http://time.com/4379854/supreme-court-obama-immigration-plan-block/?xid=homepage) dealt a disappointing blow to the country’s “broken” immigration system. “For more than two decades now — everybody acknowledges — our immigration system has been broken,” Obama said. “And the fact that the Supreme Court wasn’t able to reach a decision today doesn’t just set the system back even further it takes us further from the country we aspire to be.” Earlier in the morning, the Supreme Court split 4-4 in the case of U.S. v Texas, a challenge to the president’s [plan to expand deferrals in deportation action](http://time.com/3598182/immigration-reform-executive-actions-barack-obama-deportations/) to include the parents of children who are in the country legally and expand protection for some children who came to the country illegally. The tie does not set precedent, but it did not allow for the Supreme Court’s input on an issue the president deemed a key legacy project of his last term. The decision, instead, remands the case back to a lower court decision that said the Obama administration did not have the authority to shield to four million undocumented immigrations from immigration. President Obama said the decision would not impact a [policy he put in place in 2012](http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/15/politics/immigration/) to stop deportations of young undocumented immigrants who meet certain requirements as well as his administration’s policy to prioritize criminals for deportation, but agreed the lack of Supreme Court input was “heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who have raised families here.” Obama blamed Congress for not acting on comprehensive immigration reform and also for its failure to confirm his Supreme Court nominee. Obama said the decision “underscores the degree to which the Court is unable to do its job.” Thomas A. Saenz, the president & general counsel of the [Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund](http://www.maldef.org/), agreed with that sentiment in a call shortly before the president spoke. “Today’s 4-4 deadlock is clear indication that the U.S. Senate’s refusal to do its job has very real consequences,” he said. The national President of the Hispanic National Bar Association, Robert T. Maldonado, said in a statement Thursday that it is a “sad day for millions of hard-working immigrant families, their friends and allies” but argued the community will continue their efforts. The fight could reach its pressure point in the voting booth this November. In the White House Press Briefing Room on Thursday, President Obama said voters will play a critical role in deciding how the country moves forward on this issue. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4380019/president-obama-supreme-court-immigration-decision/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4380019/president-obama-supreme-court-immigration-decision/"},"headline":"President Obama Says Supreme Court Immigration Decision Is a Setback","datePublished":"2016-06-23T16:58:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-06T09:29:48.165Z","description":"But Obama remains hopeful the Supreme Court will eventually change course","url":"https://time.com/4380019/president-obama-supreme-court-immigration-decision/","keywords":["Supreme Court","Barack Obama","Obama","Immigration","immigration reform"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt254fa075f1afeba1/6988992d3c1639099045dc4e/obama-supreme-court-immigration.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt254fa075f1afeba1/6988992d3c1639099045dc4e/obama-supreme-court-immigration.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Supreme Court Rules On Major Cases","caption":"Rosario Reyes, an undocumented mother from El Salvador, reacts to news on a Supreme Court decision blocking Obama's immigration plan, which would have protected millions of immigrants from deportation, in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC","creditText":"Allison Shelley—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/supreme-court/","name":"Supreme Court"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4380019/president-obama-supreme-court-immigration-decision/","name":"President Obama Says Supreme Court Immigration Decision Is a Setback"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Supreme Court Ties on Immigration, Killing Obama's Reform Plan","description":"The Supreme Court tied in its decision about President Obama's immigration policy, upholding a lower court's ruling that said he doesn't have the authority to carry out his plan without Congressional approval.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Jk3YNsYI/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-06-23T17:41:55.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Jk3YNsYI.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4380019/president-obama-supreme-court-immigration-decision/","duration":"PT1M10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4380019/president-obama-supreme-court-immigration-decision/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```