Background
This matter involves consolidated appeals from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. The cases were originally filed as civil actions challenging actions by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The consolidated cases include Sosnava Rodriguez against Ortega, Villegas Angel against Mullin, and Gomez Alvarado against Vergara.
The court’s reasoning
A majority of the circuit judges in regular active service and not disqualified voted in favor of rehearing the case en banc. The court acted on its own motion to reconsider the matter.
What it means going forward
The prior panel decision is no longer effective. The parties must file supplemental briefs according to a schedule to be specified by the Clerk, and oral argument will be scheduled for a later date.