What does the administration call people committed to upholding due process in immigration proceedings? A nuisance. Trump might have pledged to uphold the Constitution when he was sworn in a second time, but he immediately tried to cast off the burden with multifaceted attacks on the Fourteenth Amendment. The ill-prepared arguments against the birthright clause are obvious, but he’s also chiseling away at the due process enshrined in the 14th. Remember: everyone the United States wants to deport can’t be afforded a trial according to him. And if you dare to, you know, uphold the Constitution by making sure that people facing deportation are afforded due process, your job could be on the line. Daily Free Press has coverage:
The Department of Justice fired six immigration judges Friday, including the Boston judge who blocked the deportation of Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk earlier this year.
Roopal Patel, a Biden-appointed judge in the Boston Immigration Court, is the 113th immigration judge laid off by the Trump administration since his second term, according to reporting from the New York Times. Unlike federal judges who have lifetime appointments, immigration judges are appointed by the Attorney General and can be fired. Along with Patel, the Trump administration fired Judge Nina Froes, who blocked the deportation of Mohsen Mahdawi, an international student at Columbia University who was detained after participating in pro-Palestinian protests.
The unceremoniously fired judges weren’t even given the kindness of a vague “transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector” post on Truth Social a la Pam Bondi.
When it comes to Trump’s judicial legacy, people are quick to point out his record-breaking number of federal appointments. As they should — the influence those judges will have on the matters before them will last long after the FTD claims him and FDT hits the top of Billboard. But the judicial hostility he’s fostered needs to be part of the discussion. Berating judges on a public stage when things don’t go your way and firing triple-digit numbers of judges for muddying up your great plans with due process are ripe conditions to chill judges from doing their jobs. At least until they get replaced with sycophants willing ignore the law and do Trump’s bidding if it means advancing their careers.
DOJ fires judge who halted deportation of Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk [Daily Free Press]
Earlier: Rümeysa Öztürk Finally Returns Home After Being Detained Over 6 Weeks For Sharing Her Opinions
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boat builder who is learning to swim and is interested in rhetoric, Spinozists and humor. Getting back in to cycling wouldn’t hurt either. You can reach him by email at christopherrashadwilliams@gmail.com and by Tweet/Bluesky at @WritesForRent.
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