Approximately a week ago, on Monday, July 13, the Trump administration asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to issue a stay while the government appealed the 52-page ruling handed down on Friday, July 11, by Federal Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, of the U.S. Court for the Central District of California.
Thus far, there has been no stay from the Ninth..
On Monday, July 17, the president’s lawyers moved again in the hope of derailing Judge Frimpong’s highly-detailed ruling. (It was a move that was both unsuccessful and made almost no news, perhaps due to the Epstein cloud that, at the time, had many of Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters in thrall, and perhaps distracted his staff.)
In any case, in her 52-page ruling, Frimpong essentially told the president to stop violating the U.S. Constitution, which is what his immigration sweeps did over and over as federal agents repeatedly and indiscriminately arrested people across Southern California.
“The seizures at issue occurred unlawfully,” Judge Frimpong wrote.
There is, she continued, “a mountain of evidence” to support the claim that agents are arresting people solely based on their race, accents, or the work they’re engaged in, in violation of the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.
Similarly, Frimpong ordered the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to stop carrying out immigration sweeps in which federal agents arrested people at random across southern California without any sort of reasonable suspicion that those they arrested were in the country illegally, at which time those arrested were also reportedly denied access to counsel, when they asked to contact their lawyer.
To simplify matters, in her ruling Judge Frimpong issued two temporary restraining orders (TROs), orders that are pretty difficult for the government to misunderstand.
According to explanation put forth by the ACLU of Southern California, the first TRO prohibits immigration agents from stopping individuals without reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed (probable cause). This means the first TRO can’t rely “on four factors – alone or in combination – including apparent race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish or English with an accent; presence in a particular location like a bus stop, car wash, or agricultural site; or the work the person does.”
The second TRO orders the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide access to counsel on weekdays, weekends, and holidays for people who are detained in B-18, the federal building in downtown Los Angeles, where a large number of those arrested have been taken.
Another legal concept that would be very hard to misunderstand.
The So Cal ACLU-led lawsuit
As WLA wrote previously, earlier this month Southern California residents, workers, and advocacy groups across various industries filed a very rigorous lawsuit against the government for abducting and disappearing community members using unlawful stop and arrest practices and confining individuals at a federal building in illegal conditions while denying them access to an attorney.
Both the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles, plus an additional cluster of municipalities (including Santa Monica, Pico Rivera, Pasadena, Montebello, West Hollywood, Culver city, and Monterey Park), joined the lawsuit on behalf of their residents.
Unsurprisingly, the state of California also joined in the form of an amicus brief arguing in favor of Judge Frimpong’s TRO concerning “suspicionless” stops.
In a related response, Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, had this to say about Frimpong’s detailed ruling.
“While it does not take a federal judge to recognize that marauding bands of masked, rifle-toting goons have been violating ordinary people’s rights throughout Southern California, we are hopeful,” that the ruling, “will be a step toward accountability for the federal government’s flagrant lawlessness that we have all been witnessing.”
Supervisor Hahn joins
And….in related news, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn is scheduled to introduce a motion to create a county ordinance prohibiting law enforcement officers from concealing their identities in Los Angeles County unincorporated areas.
“Law enforcement officers should never wear personal disguises or conceal their identities while interacting with the public in the course of their duties,” wrote Hahn and her staff. “But since the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids began in Los Angeles County on June 6, 2025, that is exactly what has been happening,”
Yep.
Here’s a link to a draft of Hahn’s proposed July 29 motion. It’s worth reading.
The TRO is a good idea but I the end the Supreme Court will over rule it. The Republicans need to read the the constitution and then apply it to the country. Not bow down to trump. He’s not God.
Republicans need to be voted out! As long as they take from Trump.
First of all, Trump should be addressed as President Trump. After all he has been elected as President of the United States. If you pay any attention to our dear President Donald Trump, you would know that he recognizes that God saved his live and is as his Savior. He has also mentioned that it is God that has all power. President Trump gives glory and praises to our glorious, omnipotent God. I would be careful about saying that President Trump has people bowing down to him. God hears and sees all. He is the final judge, not you.
To @Linda & @More Democracy,
It is utterly amazing how folks such as yourself have totally lost your spaghetti. “Bow down to Trump..” and “Republicans need to be voted out!”
I do recall when Obama was in office and making unilateral decisions, while violating the Constitution of the U.S. when he created D.A.C.A. Further, when he deported three million illegal aliens and then created cages to hold those illegal aliens prior to deportation. Further, didn’t he also set up Obama Care and stated you can keep your doctor, and you wouldn’t be penalized? Weaponized the D.O.J. against an incoming, duly elected POTUS.
Yet through this and other shenanigans, I would presume that the two of you were completely oblivious to his actions yet fawning over how great of a POTUS he was. Fast forward to today, how’s that Russia, Hoax coming along? Sounds like Treason to me. Moreover, he will not have immunity, since he is not a citizen of the U.S.A. Nonetheless, you two will dismiss this as some conspiracy theory.
Moving on to that old senile man who did not campaign, yet allegedly received eighty-one million votes? Not even Obama was able to pull that off. However, Biden and his administration left the southern border get invaded by illegal immigrants and terrorists as well. Let good ol’ inflation creep in, which was the highest since Carter. Weaponized the D.O.J. Hired approximately eighty-six thousand I.R.S. agents. Do you remember how they went after conservative individuals & churches? Found cocaine inside the White House. Biden and his family were receiving some sweet kickbacks. What about his son Hunter? On the board of Burisma, without any experience. Hmm. Remember when Biden threatened, excuse me, leveraged the Attorney General of Ukraine to drop the investigation into his son Hunter? And last but not least, do you recall hearing about the “autopen?”
I could continue, however I believe you got the picture. I hope.
My comments may come across as defending the bad orange man, I am not. I am merely trying to refresh your memories as to what your POTUS’ did. Of which you seem to have a fuzzy recollection of. If you are going to disparage the current POTUS, do so equally across the board. This way you come across as unbiased and fair. Rather than suffering from TDS.
Remember, we all live on this floating rock called earth, that God has blessed us with. Thank you, Debbie!
See my IG if you want to know what everything is transpiring and pertaining to.