Overview
- Friday’s terminations bring this year’s total removals to 12 in San Francisco and about 90 nationwide, according to the judges’ association.
- Hearings were canceled or reset for years after the firings, with roughly 25,000 cases in San Francisco now reassigned and some dates pushed to 2029.
- Judges and attorneys report abrupt, unexplained emails locking judges out of systems, including one judge notified during an asylum hearing.
- As removals continue, DOJ is recruiting replacements with postings that label the roles “deportation judges,” a message also amplified by DHS on social media.
- The administration lowered prerequisites for temporary judges and authorized up to 600 military attorneys to serve, with DOJ saying judges are evaluated on conduct, impartiality, adherence to law, productivity, and professionalism.