5 things to know about the Florida judge who blocked Biden's immigration plan

A key part of President Joe Biden’s immigration policy is being blocked by a federal judge in northern Florida who had previously castigated the president's immigration policies.

U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell entered the national debate over immigration after he temporarily stopped the Biden administration from implementing its immigration “parole” policy that would allow some asylum-seekers to enter the U.S. with less restrictive supervision. He sided with Florida’s attorney general.

The Biden administration was set to implement that plan last week after the expiration of Title 42, the pandemic-era health policy that allowed the U.S. to turn away millions of asylum-seekers.

Here are five things to know about the judge who ruled against Biden.

Who is T. Kent Wetherell?

Wetherell, 52, was born in Dayton Beach, Fla., and attended Florida State University for his undergraduate studies and law degree. He held a wide variety of jobs before sitting on the federal bench, including interning and later clerking with the Florida House Judiciary Committee and serving as a deputy solicitor general in the Florida attorney general’s office, according to a questionnaire he submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation.

The judge, a member of The Federalist Society, also spent several years in private practice.

What did he do?

Last January, Wetherell presided over a case brought by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration against Biden challenging its immigration policies. In March, Wetherell issued a ruling siding with Florida and blasting the Biden administration’s handling of the “unsustainable” immigration crisis at the border.

Last week, acting on a temporary restraining order request from Florida, the judge blocked the federal government from releasing some asylum-seekers under Biden’s post-Title 42 plans.

Who appointed Wetherell?

Former Florida Republican Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Wetherell to the First District Court of Appeals in 2009. In 2018, former President Donald Trump nominated Wetherell to the U.S. District Court for Florida’s Northern District.

What other cases has he overseen?

Wetherell was involved in thousands of cases during his time on the bench. But one notable criminal case involved Eugene Huelsman, a California man who threatened to “put a bullet in” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). Wetherell sentenced him to six months home confinement.

What’s next?

The Biden administration will likely appeal the immigration case to the 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals