Appeals court to hear more arguments over sanctuary cities injunction in Chicago

A federal appeals court will reconsider whether an injunction handed down amid Chicago’s feud with the Trump Administration over sanctuary cities should apply nationwide.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will hear oral arguments over the scope of the injunction, which stops Attorney General Jeff Sessions from applying new conditions to grant money to force cities to cooperate with immigration authorities.

U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber first entered the injunction in September. The appellate court upheld it — as well as its national implications — in a 35-page opinion in April.

However, Appellate Judge Daniel Manion wrote a 14-page opinion insisting Leinenweber went too far when he applied his ruling across the country.

“We are not the Supreme Court, and we should not presume to decide legal issues for the whole country,” Manion wrote.

In a brief order Monday, the appellate court said “a majority of the judges in active service” voted to rehear the case “only as to the geographic scope” of the injunction.

The grant at issue is the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, used by local governments for law enforcement needs like police cruisers, body cameras and community programs aimed at reducing violence.