Trump DOJ Dismisses Over 100 Immigration Judges Amid Legal Battles

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has overseen the removal of over a hundred immigration judges, a move that one outlet highlighted as alarming but within the Justice Department’s authority. Judges in jurisdictions such as Chicago, Boston and California have been dismissed for allegedly defying immigration laws and the Trump administration’s deportation agenda. Former judges Megan Jackler and Brandon Jaroch filed a lawsuit that the Federal Circuit agreed to consider with a full panel, signaling the case’s importance and setting the stage for a possible Supreme Court review.

The Merit Systems Protection Board previously ruled that no body can limit the president’s removal power, a decision the DOJ relied on to justify the terminations. Legal experts warn the outcome could alter the civil-service framework that protects federal employees from political dismissal. DHS General Counsel James Percival has accused specific judges of “open defiance” and linked their actions to delays in deporting illegal aliens, citing a Boston judge who blocked a flight to South Sudan. The controversy underscores a broader clash between the administration’s immigration enforcement goals and judicial independence.