On Wednesday, July 31, 2026, a liberal-led panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed two district court orders that had temporarily blocked the Trump administration's termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for migrants from South Sudan and Ethiopia. These decisions followed back-to-back rulings by U.S. District Judges Brian Murphy and Patti Saris, who had issued injunctions delaying the TPS terminations late last week.

The three-judge panel included Judges Julie Rikelman and Seth Aframe, appointed by President Joe Biden, and Judge Joshua Dunlap, appointed by President Donald Trump. The appeals court’s reversal was described as "a win for the rule of law and common sense."

The rulings had drawn sharp criticism from legal experts and Trump administration officials, who labeled the district judges as "rogue" and accused them of defying the Supreme Court. DHS General Counsel James Percival condemned Murphy's order as "mutiny against the Supreme Court" and described Saris' ruling as "open defiance" of the justices' decision.

Legal commentary highlighted that district courts are not supposed to second-guess TPS terminations, with the Supreme Court emphasizing that such disputes should not be heard at that level. The TPS statute's judicial-review bar applies to all non-constitutional claims challenging the Secretary of Homeland Security's decisions regarding TPS termination.

Temporary Protected Status, intended as a temporary humanitarian measure, has been criticized for functioning as a de facto amnesty program, contrary to Congressional intent. The First Circuit’s ruling supports the Trump administration’s efforts to end TPS designations for South Sudan and Ethiopia.

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