Vocabulary

Obstruction (n): 1- something that blocks a road, passage, entrance, etc. so that nothing can go along it, or the act of blocking something in this way. 2- behavior or actions that prevent something from happening or working correctly.
E.g.: There’s some kind of obstruction on the railway tracks
E.g.: They were charged with obstruction of the police/of justice (= preventing the police/law courts from doing their jobs).

Squash (v): 1- to crush something into a flat shape. 2- to stop something from continuing to exist or happen, by forceful action:
E.g.: He accidentally sat on her hat and squashed it.
E.g.: Rumors of a possible takeover of the company were soon squashed by the management.

Sanctuary (n): 1- protection or a safe place, especially for someone or something being chased or hunted.
E.g.: The chapel became a sanctuary for the refugees.

Sanctuary Cities (n): 1- A sanctuary city is a community that helps people who are in the country illegally remain in the country. These communities help illegal immigrants avoid being deported, or being forced to leave the United States.
E.g.: Donald Trump’s executive order targeting sanctuary cities was blocked by a federal judge.

Jeopardize (v): 1- to put something such as a plan or system in danger of being harmed or damaged. (n: Jeopardy)
E.g.: She knew that by failing her finals she could jeopardize her whole future.

Ruling (n): 1- a formal decision.
E.g.: The court has made a final ruling on the case that the companies acted illegally.

Legislative (n/adj): 1- relating to laws or the making of laws. 2- the branch of government that is responsible for making laws.
E.g.: The European Parliament will have greater legislative powers (= ability to make laws).

Executive (n): 1- the part of a government that is responsible for making certain that laws and decisions are put into action. 2- someone in a high position, especially in business, who makes decisions and puts them into action.
E.g.: The Executive has taken action to solve the issue.
E.g.: She is now a senior executive, having worked her way up through the company.

Judiciary (n): 1- the part of a country’s government that is responsible for its legal system, including all the judges in the country’s courts:
E.g.: He’s a high-ranking member of the judiciary

Pronunciation

Jeopardize: /ˈdʒep.ɚ.daɪz/

Judiciary: /dʒuːˈdɪʃ.ɚ.i/

Legislative: /ˈledʒ.ə.slə.t̬ɪv/

A Win For Sanctuary Cities

A judge on Tuesday blocked any attempt by President Donald Trump to cut federal funding from “sanctuary cities.” A sanctuary city is a community that helps people who are in the country illegally remain in the country. These communities help illegal immigrants avoid being deported, or being forced to leave the United States.

In the ruling, which took place in San Francisco, California, U.S. District Judge William Orrick said the president has no authority to attach new conditions to federal spending. The ruling was in response to an executive order signed by President Trump on his fifth day in office. The order targeted these communities by stripping them of federal funding.

The Trump administration argued that sanctuary cities allow criminals back on the street and that the order is needed to keep the country safe. According to Orrick, the nature of Trump’s executive order was coercive, or threatening. San Francisco and other sanctuary cities say turning local police into immigration officers takes away the trust that is needed to get people to report crime. More than 300 cities and counties nationwide have placed limits on how far their law enforcement agencies are allowed to cooperate with federal officials looking to detain and deport immigrants for crimes or illegal entry to the U.S.

Funding Stays

With this ruling, Judge Orrick put a stop to President Trump’s order in two California lawsuits – one brought by the city of San Francisco, and the other by Santa Clara County. Both of these places are sanctuary cities. According to Orrick, Trump’s order could potentially jeopardize hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to San Francisco and Santa Clara.

“Federal funding that bears no meaningful relationship to immigration enforcement cannot be threatened merely because a [city] chooses an immigration enforcement strategy of which the president disapproves,” the judge said. This is the third time in two months that a federal judge has squashed an immigration order by the president.

San Francisco City Attorney, Dennis Herrera, said the president was “forced to back down.”

“This is why we have courts – to halt the overreach of a president and an attorney general who either don’t understand the Constitution or choose to ignore it,” he said in a statement.

The San Francisco and Santa Clara County lawsuits were the first to get a hearing before a judge. They likely won’t be the last. Trump’s executive order has also led to lawsuits by Seattle, Washington and other U.S. cities.

The sanctuary city order was one of a number of immigration measures that President Trump has signed since taking office in January, including a ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, and calling for a wall to be built on the Mexican border.

(www.timeforkids.com/news/win-sanctuary-cities/601801)