Florida AG held in contempt for not following liberal judge’s order to block immigration laws
An Obama judge on Tuesday held Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in civil contempt of court for not following her orders.
In early April, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a 14-day restraining order blocking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new law, signed in February, making it a state crime for illegal aliens to enter his state.
Williams issued the temporary restraining order (TRO) in response to a suit filed by the Florida Immigrant Coalition, according to Fox News.
After discovering that the Florida Highway Patrol had, despite her TRO, arrested over a dozen people, including a citizen, using the new law, she extended the restraining order by another 11 days.
During an April 18 hearing, Williams also ordered Uthmeier to notify all Florida law enforcement officers of her order. The AG reportedly initially complied with a letter to law enforcement, but with a twist.
“In the notice, the attorney general said he disagreed with the order, calling it ‘both wrong on the merits and overbroad on its scope,'” according to The Independent.
He added that his office would “continue to press these scope-of-relief arguments in the district court and, as appropriate, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.”
On April 23, he sent a follow-up letter to law enforcement telling them that “no judicial order…properly restrains you from” enforcing the new law, adding that he had no intention of trying to “prevent you from enforcing” the challenged law.
“It is my view that no lawful, legitimate order currently impedes your agencies from continuing to enforce Florida’s new illegal entry and reentry laws,” he wrote.
Fast-forward to Tuesday, when Williams asked Uthmeier why he shouldn’t be held in contempt of court. She also brought up two recent interviews in which the AG had trashed her order.
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