Federal judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit against Washtenaw County's sanctuary policies

A federal judge in the Eastern District of Michigan on Friday dismissed a lawsuit alleging that Washtenaw County’s “sanctuary policies” were illegal.

In her opinion, Judge F. Kay Behm stated that “neither the federal government nor the President may conscript local officials to enforce their will,” adding that “the government cannot otherwise compel localities to enforce the President’s priorities in the manner it wishes.”

She wrote that the federal government cannot compel states or local governments to enact or administer a federal program, and cannot “conscript state or local officers directly.”