Here come de Judge! The Great Writ.

Comparison:

Civics lesson to the government: Administrative warrants issued by the executive branch to itself do not pass probable cause muster. That is called the fox guarding the henhouse. The Constitution requires an independent judicial officer. 

. . .

With a judicial finger in the constitutional dike, It is so ORDERED.

On January 31, 2026, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery of the Western District of Texas ordered the immediate release of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias. His dual use of the finger-in-the-dike metaphor and the fox/henhouse metaphor sets his ruling apart from other more staid rulings.

Context:

Civics lesson to the government: Administrative warrants issued by the executive branch to itself do not pass probable cause muster. That is called the fox guarding the henhouse. The Constitution requires an independent judicial officer.

 Accordingly, the Court finds that the Constitution of these United States trumps this administration’s detention of petitioner Adrian Conejo Arias and his minor son, L.C.R. The Great Writ and release from detention are GRANTED pursuant to the attached Judgment.

 Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency. And the rule of law be damned.

 Ultimately, Petitioners may, because of the arcane United States immigration system, return to their home country, involuntarily or by self-deportation. But that result should occur through a more orderly and humane policy than currently in place.

 Philadelphia, September 17, 1787: “Well, Dr. Franklin, what do we have?” “A republic, if you can keep it.”

 With a judicial finger in the constitutional dike,

 It is so ORDERED.

SIGNED this 31st day of January, 2026.

      _________________________________

      Fred Biery

      United States District Judge

Matthew 19:14

John 11:35

Citation:

United States, District Court for the Western District of Texas. ADRIAN CONEJO ARIAS, and

L.C.R., a Minor Child by and through

His Parent and Guardian Adrian Conejo Arias v. NOEM, BONDI, et al. 31 Jan. 2026.

(Graphic image design by Lee Aigue; initial visual image courtesy of ChatGPT, Feb. 2026.)