[JURIST] Chief Judge Gail Tusan of the Superior Court of Fulton County [official website] on Wednesday refused [order, PDF] to place a hold on her previous ruling [text] granting in-state tuition to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) [official website] recipients. In her ruling [AJC report], Tusan stated that the defendants failed to show how and to what extent the state of Georgia would face “irreparable harm” if the ruling were to take effect during the appeals process. She contrasted the potential harm faced by defendants with what she described as “great” harm plaintiffs would face and denied the defendant’s request.

The DACA program and other immigration concerns continue to create domestic legal issues. Last week the board of regents filed a motion [JURIST report] to stay the judge’s ruling until the appeal is decided. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel delivered a letter [JURIST report] to US President-elect Donald Trump in December signed by many US mayors warning of the potential economic losses Trump could cause if he repeals DACA. Several conservation groups in October filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accusing the agency of violating environmental law by neglecting the effects of unregulated immigration.