Judges Question Order Against Border Patrol in California Case

A federal appellate panel pressed both sides in a case challenging Border Patrol operations in California, signaling the judges’ skepticism of a lower court ruling that imposed limits on enforcement tactics without first resolving whether the plaintiffs had standing.

The three-judge panel Wednesday repeatedly returned to whether the district court erred by not analyzing the standing question in its preliminary injunction barring further suspicionless stops. The panel also pressed the Justice Department on its position that each individual plaintiff has to establish standing separately.

The case stems from a January 2025 Border Patrol three-day operation in California’s Central Valley, dubbed ...