Judge hands Biden a legal defeat but a political reprieve

A federal judge appointed by former President Trump gave President Biden and Democrats an odd kind of reprieve on Friday.

Judge Robert R. Summerhays issued a preliminary injunction Friday afternoon preventing the White House from lifting Title 42, the controversial measure that has been used to turn back migrants and people seeking asylum at the southern border.

Biden had intended to end the measure on Monday. But his plans to do so had caused a near-mutiny in Democratic ranks, amid both practical and political fears.