The judge said the administration had to decide by Jan. 5 whether it wanted to “facilitate” the men’s return to the United States or let them contest their initial removals in the federal courts. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Federal Courts (US)”
Supreme Court Seems Skeptical of N.J. in Dispute Over Anti-Abortion Center Donor Records
By Gotham Rex on December 2, 2025
A majority of the justices appeared supportive of arguments by a crisis pregnancy center that it should be able to challenge a subpoena from the state’s attorney general in federal court. Source: New York Times
New York Sues Over Rule Barring Thousands of Immigrants From SNAP
By Gotham Rex on November 26, 2025
The Trump administration says refugees and asylum seekers can never get food stamps, but attorneys general from New York and nearly two dozen other states say that is unlawful. Source: New York Times
Judge Tosses Criminal Charges Against James Comey and Letitia James
By Gotham Rex on November 24, 2025
The decision is a setback for the president’s efforts to wield the criminal justice system against his perceived enemies. Source: New York Times
U.S. Defends Decision to Seek Death Penalty for Luigi Mangione
By Gotham Rex on November 22, 2025
Prosecutors argue that Mr. Mangione can receive a fair trial, despite his lawyers’ concerns about “damaging” statements from the attorney general about the murder case. Source: New York Times
U.S. Agent Pushes Woman to Floor in Immigration Courthouse Confrontation
By Gotham Rex on September 25, 2025
In a scene caught on video, the woman and a young girl were clinging to a man who was being detained. Agents pulled their hair, then one shoved the woman after she touched his chest. Source: New York Times
Judge Rebukes Trump Officials for Saying Luigi Mangione Is a Killer
By Gotham Rex on September 24, 2025
They echoed the president’s characterization of Luigi Mangione, even though the judge had warned of endangering a fair trial. Source: New York Times
Judge Steps Up Pressure on ICE to Fix Conditions in N.Y.C. Holding Cells
By Gotham Rex on September 17, 2025
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said he was intervening to protect migrants from being detained in potentially “unconstitutional and inhumane” circumstances at 26 Federal Plaza. Source: New York Times
Fired Prosecutor Challenges Trump’s Claims to Sweeping Power in Lawsuit
By Gotham Rex on September 15, 2025
The Justice Department gave no reason for its dismissal of Maurene Comey, a longtime federal prosecutor in Manhattan and the daughter of the former F.B.I. director, James Comey. Source: New York Times
Sterling Johnson Jr., Former U.S. Judge in Brooklyn, Dies at 88
By Gotham Rex on October 12, 2022
He closed a Guantánamo “H.I.V. prison camp” and castigated the city over its treatment of poor people with AIDS. A former detective, he had also been a narcotics prosecutor. Source: New York Times
National Democrats Make Last-Gasp Push to Keep N.Y. District Maps
By Gotham Rex on May 2, 2022
Democrats are seeking to reinstate congressional district maps that were declared unconstitutional last week by New York’s highest court. Source: New York Times
New Wrinkle in Ghislaine Maxwell Trial as Judge May Be Promoted
By Gotham Rex on November 16, 2021
Senator Chuck Schumer will recommend Judge Alison J. Nathan for a seat on a federal appeals court, but the fraught case could put her in an unusual predicament. Source: New York Times
Ghislaine Maxwell Trial: New Wrinkle as Judge May Be Promoted
By Gotham Rex on November 16, 2021
Senator Chuck Schumer will recommend Judge Alison J. Nathan for a seat on a federal appeals court, but the fraught case could put her in an unusual predicament. Source: New York Times
U.S. Senate Confirms First Muslim Federal District Judge
By Gotham Rex on June 11, 2021
The judge, Zahid N. Quraishi of New Jersey, said after his selection by President Biden, “Candidly, I would prefer to be the hundredth, if not the thousandth.” Source: New York Times
Judges Juggle Over 2,700 Cases Each as Families Wait for Day in Court
By Gotham Rex on March 17, 2021
Short-handed and deluged by complex cases, New Jersey’s federal court is in a crisis. The backlog of cases has only gotten worse in the pandemic. Source: New York Times