Chicago (QNN)- A US federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to force the US government to carry out emergency rescues of Palestinian Americans and their families trapped in Gaza during the US-Israeli genocide, reported Reuters.
Chief Judge Virginia Kendall of the US District Court in Chicago issued the ruling on Thursday.
She said the court lacks the authority to decide matters tied to foreign policy and evacuations, which fall under the Executive Branch.
The case was brought by nine Palestinian Americans who are US citizens or lawful permanent residents.
They sued the government in December 2024, arguing it violated their constitutional right to equal protection by failing to evacuate them as it would do for other Americans.
The plaintiffs said they faced extreme conditions in Gaza, including destroyed homes, food shortages, lack of medical care, and severe psychological distress.
They argued these hardships created a mandatory duty for the US government to evacuate them from Gaza.
Judge Kendall said she sympathized with the plaintiffs and described their situation as impossible.
However, she said the court lacked both jurisdiction and practical tools to resolve such claims.
In her ruling, Kendall said she could not assess how an evacuation should be coordinated with neighboring countries.
She also cited the alleged dangers of moving people through what she referred to as active combat zones and the challenge of determining who qualifies for evacuation.
She noted that the United States has no diplomatic presence in Gaza, which, according to her, further complicates any rescue effort.
Kendall said answering these questions from the courtroom would intrude on powers assigned by the Constitution to political branches.
The judge also claimed that available evidence showed the US government had developed an evacuation plan.
She added that the nine plaintiffs had either already left Gaza or declined evacuation offers that excluded extended family members.
The lawsuit originally named former US President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
It continues against their successors, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The US State Department did not respond to requests for comment.
The ruling comes amid Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Israel has murdered more than 71,000 Palestinians since it launched its offensive over two years ago.
