What a court injunction does, and does not do

The facts

1. 01An injunction is a court order requiring a party to do something, or to stop doing something. A preliminary injunction holds while the case is decided; a permanent injunction follows a final judgment.
2. 02An injunction against a government policy stops the government from enforcing it as the order specifies. It does not rewrite the policy's text, and it does not change the statute the policy was issued under.
3. 03Orders can be appealed, and a higher court can stay an order, which pauses its effect while the appeal is heard.
4. 04The scope of an order — which parties it binds, and whether it reaches one district or the whole country — is set by the court that issues it and can be narrowed on appeal. In June 2025 the Supreme Court held that universal injunctions reaching people who are not parties to a case likely exceed the authority Congress has given federal courts.
5. 05ImmigrationClock records a court decision using the court's own description of what it did, links the order, and does not predict how an appeal will turn out.