Federal Judge William Orrick III, who on Tuesday blocked an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on so-called sanctuary cities, was a major donor to and bundler for former President Barack Obama.
Orrick's ruling blocked the Trump administration from denying federal funds to sanctuary cities San Francisco and Santa Clara. The same day, Fox News reported that Orrick was a bundler for Obama, raising at least $200,000 for the former president.
The judge's prior bundling for Obama and donations of over $30,000 to groups supporting him were revealed by the Federalist in 2015, after Orrick gained attention for issuing a restraining order against an organization that filmed undercover footage of Planned Parenthood employees discussing the sale of fetal organs.
Orrick, who was appointed by Obama, sits on the bench of the court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco.
California passed a "sanctuary state" bill in early April, prohibiting state and local law enforcement agencies from using their resources to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Trump's executive order would stop federal funding from going to jurisdictions that hold "sanctuary city" policies.