President Obama has appealed to the Supreme Court in hopes of convincing the eight justices to rehear a recent case centered on the 2014 executive actions on immigration he once sought to enact.

Last month's high court decision let stand a lower court's decision that shot down the president's efforts to legally protect up to four million immigrants from the constant threat of deportation.

With the court down to just eight members ever since the February death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, the justices deadlocked 4-4 on the issue back in June.

Court Remains Shorthande

In its formal filing the Justice Department requested that the court take a second look at the case once it has its full complement of nine justices.

When that may be seems anyone's guess given the Republican-controlled Senate's steadfast refusal to so much as hold hearings for appeals court judge Merrick Garland, President Obama's nominee to replace Scalia.

While stressing that the Supreme Court rarely rehears cases, Acting Solicitor General Ian Gershengorn recently admitted that the immigration case is unique from others because the court could not take another case to resolve the issue down the line if the plan is blocked.

Obama's proposal was initially unveiled in late 2014, drawing immediate challenges from a slew of Republican-governed states, most notably Texas, all of which argued that the administration overstepped its authority in seeking to unilaterally enact the legislation.

With the high court deadlocking on the matter, a 2015 lower court's ruling was effectively left as the law of the land.

Millions of Immigrants Impacted

The Obama plan was fostered to allow roughly four million illegal immigrants that have no criminal record and children who are legal citizens the chance to remain in the U.S. and enter a program that protects them from deportation and affords them work permits.

The plan also stipulated only those arriving in the U.S. since 2010 could be eligible.

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