U.S. Border Patrol commander won't have to appear in court every day — for now

The ruling comes a day after the commander attended federal court to address questions about a series of aggressive immigration actions.

CHICAGO — An appeals court has paused an order that required U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino to appear each day in federal court in Chicago.

Just before Bovino was to report to a judge at 5:45 p.m. local time Wednesday, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stepped in to “temporarily” grant a government request for a reprieve.

The ruling comes a day after Bovino showed up in Chicago’s federal court to answer questions about a series of aggressive immigration actions in the area since September.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis had Bovino take an oath and sit in the witness stand to answer questions about why it appeared — through videos and written witness testimonials plaintiffs’ attorneys offered in an ongoing case — his agents were not abiding by a temporary restraining order she issued this month. The order called on federal authorities to curb the use of chemical agents such as pepper balls and tear gas, particularly in neighborhoods or where the general public could be affected.

Bovino is still scheduled to show up at the federal courthouse Thursday to submit to a deposition in the same lawsuit, filed by a group of media organizations and protesters who alleged various government acts of aggression since September.