The Supreme Court issued decisions on several major cases Thursday including immigration and affirmative action, with justices being split on the president's immigration plan.

  • Justices split on Obama's immigration plan
  • Texas led states challenging program announced in late 2014
  • Justices upheld use of affirmative action at universities, colleges

A tie vote by the Supreme Court is blocking President Barack Obama's immigration plan that sought to shield millions living in the U.S. illegally from deportation.

The justices' one-sentence opinion Thursday effectively kills the plan for the duration of Obama's presidency.

A tie vote sets no national precedent but leaves in place the ruling by the lower court. In that case, the federal appeals court in New Orleans said the Obama administration lacked the authority to shield up to 4 million immigrants from deportation and make them eligible for work permits without approval from Congress.

Texas led 26 Republican-dominated states in challenging the program Obama announced in November 2014. Congressional Republicans also backed the states' lawsuit.

The Obama programs are protections for parents of children who are in the country legally and an expansion of the program that benefits people who were brought to this country as children. Obama decided to move forward after Republicans won control of the Senate in the 2014 midterm elections, and the chances for an immigration overhaul, already remote, were further diminished.

Their lawsuit was heard by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville, Texas. Hanen previously had criticized the administration for lax immigration enforcement. Hanen sided with the states, blocking the programs from taking effect. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled for the states, and the Justice Department rushed an appeal to the high court so that it could be heard this term.

Fisher v. University of Texas

The Court upheld the use of affirmative action by colleges and universities that seek to enroll more minority students.

The justices voted 4-3.

The case concerned an admissions program at the University of Texas. A white student who was turned down by the university claimed she was a victim of discrimination because race was a factor in the admissions process.

According to the university, most applicants from within the state are admitted under part of the program that admits the top students in every high school in the state. The university considers race among many factors when considering the remainder of applicants from Texas and elsewhere.

Writing the for the majority opinion, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said, “The Court’s affirmance of the University’s admissions policy today does not necessarily mean the University may rely on that same policy without refinement. It is the University’s ongoing obligation to engage in constant deliberation and continued reflection regarding its admissions policies.”

Fisher v. University of Texas was one of the oldest cases left undecided on the court’s current docket.

Blood alcohol testing

The Court placed new limits on state laws that make it a crime for motorists suspected of drunken driving to refuse alcohol tests.

The justices ruled that law enforcement officers must obtain a search warrant before requiring drivers to take blood alcohol tests, but not breath tests, which the court considers less intrusive.

Drivers in all 50 states can have their licenses revoked for refusing drunken driving tests. The court's ruling affects laws in 11 states that impose additional criminal penalties for such refusals. Florida was among the states that criminalized a driver's refusal to take alcohol blood or breath tests.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.