Presidential Executive Orders and Federalism - Immigration on the Line

Today the US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against President Obama's executive order preventing the deportation of 5 million illegal immigrants, following an earlier ruling by a Texas court that was challenged by the White House. President Obama continues to argue that preventing deportation is within his powers as President - not so, say the Courts. It may seem odd to some that there is disagreement over "who has power" in the US, given the fact that the US has a codified constitution. However, the reality is somewhat different - the constitution is very short, covers the bare minimum, and in reality, there are many unwritten conventions that exist outside the confines of the constitution. One of those conventions is the use of Executive Orders by the President.