Amy Coney Barrett Drops Telling Hint in Trump Court Battles

Key Points:

• Justice Amy Coney Barrett quietly joined a concurrence with Justice Clarence Thomas in the Supreme Court case Margolin v. National Association of Immigration Judges, signaling a potential shift toward more conservative rulings favoring the Trump administration.
• Legal scholar Stephen Vladeck interprets Barrett’s alignment with Thomas as an ominous sign that she may be more sympathetic to Trump in upcoming cases involving immigration and administrative law, where her vote could be decisive.
• Barrett’s concurrence suggests she endorses a strong “pro-channeling” stance, supporting procedural barriers that could limit claims by immigration judges and other challengers, even when such procedural channels are ineffective.
• This shift contrasts with Barrett’s previous more moderate approach, indicating she may now fully support conservative positions on immigration enforcement and related administrative disputes.
• The development is particularly significant given ongoing cases like the prosecution of Mahmoud Khalil, where the Trump administration seeks to deport lawful residents over political speech, and Barrett’s vote could determine the outcome.