(CNN) — In a crushing blow to the White House, the Supreme Court Thursday announced it was evenly divided in a case concerning the President’s controversial executive actions on immigration.
The ruling means that the programs will remain blocked from going into effect, and the issue will return to the lower court. It is exceedingly unlikely the programs will go into effect for the remainder of the Obama presidency.
Obama announced the programs to great fanfare in 2014 as well as to over 4 million immigrants who were prepared to come out from the shadows to apply for the programs and get temporary work authorization and associated benefits. ”
The programs were immediately challenged by Texas and 25 other states and blocked nationwide by a federal district court in early 2015.
