Analysis

Top 5 Immigration Court Rulings Of 2026: Midyear Report

By Britain Eakin

President Donald Trump's immigration agenda has largely prevailed in federal courts so far this year, with one glaring exception: when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his birthright citizenship executive order as unconstitutional. Here, Law360 examines five of the year's most significant decisions in immigration litigation so far.

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Wis. Judge Avoids Prison Time In ICE Obstruction Sentence

By Nate Beck

A former Wisconsin state judge on Wednesday was fined $5,000 but will not serve prison time for obstructing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest of a defendant in her courtroom by directing him down a private hallway away from agents before he was later captured.

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Guantánamo Detentions Within Removal Authority, Gov't Says

By Ganesh Setty

The Trump administration told a D.C. federal court that it acted within its statutory authority to detain noncitizens at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba who've been ordered to be deported, arguing their presence outside U.S. borders doesn't mean removal has already been completed.

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2nd Circ. Says Salvadoran Prison Conditions Were Overlooked

By Elaine Briseño

The Second Circuit on Wednesday said an immigration judge failed to consider the possible abuse a man fighting deportation could face in El Salvadoran prisons because of inhumane conditions and human rights abuses.

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Ill. Feds Fight Discovery, But Not Fees, In ICE Protest Case

By Celeste Bott

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago has agreed that a group of anti-ICE protesters whose criminal case was dismissed when prosecutorial misconduct before the grand jury that indicted them came to light is entitled to recover attorney fees, but argued Tuesday that their bid to conduct discovery into any bad faith by the government amounted to a "fishing expedition."

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DHS Says Tribe Has No Veto Over Arizona Border Wall

By Crystal Owens

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with the backing of Arizona's top legislative leaders, is seeking to dismiss the Tohono O'odham Nation's bid to block construction of 62 miles of border wall, arguing it's well within its authority to build the structure to address national and public safety threats.

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Immigration Board Rejects Asylum Tied To Conscription

By Elaine Briseño

The Board of Immigration Appeals said a fear of conscription alone was not enough to establish that a Russian man was a refugee facing persecution in his home country, overturning an immigration judge's decision that granted him asylum.

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Ohio Fuels Litigation Funding Debate As Foreign Ban Is Enacted

By Ryan Boysen

Ohio has enacted a sweeping law that bans all foreign litigation funders from doing business in the Buckeye State, drawing praise from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and outrage from the litigation finance industry.

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ABA Seeks Trump Docs In Suit Alleging Law Firm Intimidation

By Emily Sawicki

The Trump administration cannot rely on the presidential communications privilege to block disclosure of communications related to allegations that the president sought to intimidate BigLaw firms into conforming with his policy initiatives, the American Bar Association told a D.C. federal judge.

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Trump's SDNY Pick Steps In As Clayton Focuses On DC

By Pete Brush

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said Wednesday that President Donald Trump's pick to succeed him, James McDonald, will assume a leadership role as Clayton works on his own nomination for director of national intelligence in Washington.

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Judge Says Warning 'Sufficient Deterrent,' Nixing AI Sanctions

By Emily Sawicki

A Kentucky federal judge has declined to sanction two attorneys who filed a brief that included errors generated by artificial intelligence amid a fraud case against a notary public, finding the lawyers had no history of misconduct and had shown sufficient remorse.

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Del. Judge Recuses Herself From Apollo $570M Payout Suit

By Katryna Perera

The Delaware vice chancellor presiding over litigation regarding a $570 million payout to Apollo Global Management Inc. insiders has disqualified herself from the case after a possible conflict of interest arose due to her former role as an attorney with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, which was involved in a merger with ties to the payout.

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Ga. Judge Rejects UPS Plaintiff's Bid To Force Recusal

By Madison Arnold

A Georgia federal judge reportedly disciplined for having sexual intercourse in her chambers and attending a political event has opted not to recuse herself in the case of a former UPS employee in his dismissed racial discrimination lawsuit.

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McCarter Trial Judge Has 'Serious Doubts' About NY Expert

By Brian Steele

The Hartford judge presiding over a $22.5 million lawsuit against McCarter & English LLP and a former partner said Wednesday he had "serious doubts" about allowing testimony from a defense expert, but let him proceed as long as he did not claim to interpret New York law.

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Morgan & Morgan Malpractice Fight Won't Get Another Review

By Kelcey Caulder

The Georgia Court of Appeals has rejected Morgan & Morgan PA's bid to challenge a trial court ruling denying the firm's summary judgment motion in a legal malpractice case brought against it by clients seeking representation in a personal injury action.

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Day Pitney Can't Be Cut Off From New Counsel, Client Says

By Aaron Keller

A former Connecticut chief justice's ethics gaffe cannot preclude fellow lawyers at Day Pitney LLP from communicating with new counsel for John B. Clinton, a private equity management firm owner locked in a 13-year-old, $1.3 million corporate windup lawsuit, Clinton has urged a Connecticut state court judge to conclude.

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