James Uthmeier defied a judge’s order to halt arrests and boasted of backing Trump’s immigration agenda
A federal judge in Miami held Florida’s attorney general James Uthmeier in contempt of court for continuing to enforce an immigration law she blocked, and bragging about it in media interviews afterwards.
District court judge Kathleen Williams pointed to Uthmeier’s defiance in a scorching ruling on Tuesday afternoon that accused the Republican of twisting words in her April stay of a February law making it a state crime for undocumented aliens to enter Florida.
“Respect for the integrity of court orders is of paramount importance,” Williams, a Barack Obama appointee, wrote.
The contempt finding is the latest episode of an escalating power struggle between rightwing politicians and the courts, which have blocked several of Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies at the national level.
