In a significant legal development, a U.S. appeals court has upheld the temporary suspension of a Texas law, championed by Republicans, aimed at empowering state authorities to apprehend

and prosecute individuals suspected of unlawfully crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The legislation, which President Joe Biden's administration has vigorously contested, has been deemed by federal authorities as encroaching upon the jurisdiction of the central government.

The decision, rendered by a panel of judges from the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, maintains the status quo with a 2-1 majority ruling against Texas's plea to activate the law while the state's appeal of a prior judicial injunction undergoes review at the appellate level. Photo by Wikimedia commons.