State AG refuses to back down against federal judge who blocked immigration arrests, cites inherent sovereign authority

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Law & Crime

May 4th, 2025, 3:39 pm


Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has fired back at a federal judge who is threatening to hold him in contempt for defying an order she gave earlier this month stopping local immigration arrests, saying “we will vigorously defend our laws” and “not tell law enforcement to stop fulfilling their constitutional duties.” Uthmeier said Friday he believed Florida authorities were “fulfilling their constitutional duties” by flouting U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ local immigration arrest order, something he plans to continue doing.

“We believe the court has overstepped and lacks jurisdiction there, and I will not tell law enforcement to stop fulfilling their constitutional duties,” Uthmeier said. “I do not believe an AG should be held in contempt for respecting the rule of law and appropriate separation of powers,” the attorney general added. “The ACLU is dead set on obstructing President Donald Trump’s efforts to detain and deport illegals, and we are going to fight back. We will vigorously defend our laws and advance President Trump’s agenda on illegal immigration.”

Williams, a Barack Obama appointee, issued a 14-day stay on April 4 that blocked a law signed into effect by Gov. Ron DeSantis in February, which gave state law enforcement the power to arrest and prosecute undocumented immigrants. It is now a first-degree misdemeanor for a person to enter Florida as an “unauthorized alien.” Williams ordered that the law not be enforced in Florida, arguing that it was the federal government’s responsibility to apprehend and litigate migrants, not individual states.

Uthmeier initially directed authorities in the Sunshine State to stop immigration arrests from being carried out, but he reworded his directive just days later — saying he actually “cannot prevent” the arrests from happening, according to the Miami Herald. Williams lashed out at Uthmeier and his legal team at a hearing last Tuesday and demanded answers. “I’m not offended by someone disagreeing with me or my order,” Williams said, according to local ABC affiliate WPLG. “What I am offended by is someone saying, ‘You don’t have to abide by it!’” she told Uthmeier’s lawyers.

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/we-will-vigorously-defend-our-laws-state-ag-refuses-to-back-down-against-federal-judge-who-blocked-immigration-arrests-cites-inherent-sovereign-authority/

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Full headline: ‘We will vigorously defend our laws’: State AG refuses to back down against federal judge who blocked immigration arrests, cites ‘inherent sovereign authority’

[J_William_Ryan]

1. It's not just Trump.

Republicans comprehensively likewise have contempt for the rule of law and authority of the courts.

[lapfog_1]

2. issue an arrest and throw his ass in jail

for contempt.

This shit won't stop until the courts actually arrest these MAGAts

[Irish_Dem]

3. Only non MAGAs go to jail.

MAGAs have a do not go to jail card.
We don't have one.

[GB_RN]

4. FAFO.

Fuck around and find out, asshole. You just gave the judge all the evidence she needs to either lock your ass up or hit you with exponentially/logarithmically increasing penalty fines (or maybe both, but IANAL, so I can’t say for sure about both penalties being levied at the same time).

[bluestarone]

5. Judges need to back up their orders.

If they are gonna hand down decisions, they need to have in mind how they will be enforced.