Another black-robed social justice warrior governing from the bench.
Via NBC News:
Puerto Ricans who fled Hurricane Maria’s devastation and have been living in temporary housing on the mainland were granted a reprieve Saturday night when a federal judge temporarily blocked the government from ending an assistance program that was set to expire.
U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin of Massachusetts ordered that the Federal Emergency Management Agency cannot end its Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program until at least midnight Tuesday, meaning those depending on the aid to pay for hotel and motel rooms should be able to stay at least until check-out time Wednesday, according to online court records.
The national civil-rights group that filed a lawsuit Saturday seeking the restraining order said the end of the FEMA assistance would lead to Puerto Rican evacuees being evicted. The temporary restraining order affects around 1,744 people, an attorney involved in the suit said. The FEMA transitional assistance was to end Saturday.
“Basically there’s a bunch of people who may be in bed now who think they have to move tomorrow. They can wake up tomorrow knowing they have a roof over their head for at least two more days,” Christiaan Perez, manager of advocacy and digital strategy for the civil-rights group, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, said Saturday night.
The judge scheduled a telephone hearing for Monday.
FEMA said in a statement Sunday that it was “aware” of the judge’s order and was working with its vendor and notifying hotels and extending the program through Thursday. FEMA said it would not comment on pending litigation beyond that.
The agency added that it was extending for an additional 60 days a transportation assistance program that covers the costs of airfare, luggage and pet fees for Puerto Ricans to return to the island.