WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked
President Barack Obama’s plan to spare millions of immigrants in the country
illegally from deportation in a split ruling that heartened political foes who
had accused him of overstepping his powers.

The 4-4 ruling, coming seven months before Obama’s term in
office ends, marked the latest success that his Republican adversaries have had
in thwarting a major policy initiative of the Democratic president.

Obama had hoped that overhauling the U.S. immigration system and
resolving the fate of the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally
would be part of his presidential legacy.

The ruling is likely to further amplify the role that the
immigration issue will play in the run-up to the Nov. 8 presidential election
in which voters will pick Obama’s successor. It also leaves in legal limbo the
roughly 4 million people Obama’s action was meant to help.

Obama unveiled his plan in November 2014. It was quickly
challenged in court by Republican-governed Texas and 25 other states that
argued that Obama overstepped the powers granted to him by the U.S.
Constitution by infringing upon the authority of Congress. His unilateral
executive action bypassed the Republican-led Congress.

Because the court was split, a 2015 lower-court ruling
invalidating Obama’s plan was left in place. The plan never was implemented
because the lower courts had blocked it.

The plan was tailored to let roughly 4 million people – those
who have lived illegally in the U.S. at least since 2010, have no criminal
record and have children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents –
get into a program that shields them from deportation and supplies work
permits.

A split ruling was possible because the court was down to eight
justices, four liberals and four conservatives, after conservative justice Antonin Scalia died in February.

The Republican-led Senate has refused to act on Obama’s
nomination of appeals court judge Merrick Garland to replace Scalia.

In an appearance at the White House after the ruling, Obama
expressed frustration at the court’s inability to issue a decisive ruling on
the merits of the case and at Senate Republicans for “willfully”
keeping the court shorthanded.

“I think it is heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants
who made their lives here, who’ve raised families here, who hope for the
opportunity to work, pay taxes, serve in our military, and fully contribute to
this country we all love in an open way,” Obama said.

Obama said the U.S. immigration system has been broken for two
decades and that this ruling set it back even further..

The court did not reveal how each justice voted in the ruling,
but it was possible the four liberals backed Obama and the four conservatives
backed the states.

The court appeared divided along ideological
lines during oral arguments on April 18, with liberals indicating support for
the administration and conservative opposed.