Friday, June 15, 2007
APPOINTING CONSERVATIVE IMMIGRATION JUDGES
A few days ago, Amy Goldstein and Dan Eggen of the Washington Post confirmed what others have been saying for weeks. "If you are well connected within the Republican party, have a law license, and are a loyal "Bushie," you can be an immigration judge." According to the Post's detailed examination of the backgrounds of the 37 immigration judges approved by either Alberto Gonzales or John Ashcroft:
A few days ago, Amy Goldstein and Dan Eggen of the Washington Post confirmed what others have been saying for weeks. "If you are well connected within the Republican party, have a law license, and are a loyal "Bushie," you can be an immigration judge." According to the Post's detailed examination of the backgrounds of the 37 immigration judges approved by either Alberto Gonzales or John Ashcroft:
- At least one-third of the immigration judges appointed by the Justice Department since 2004 have had Republican connections or have been administration insiders, and half lacked experience in immigration law, Justice Department, immigration court and other records show.
- Two newly appointed immigration judges were failed candidates for the U.S. Tax Court nominated by President Bush; one fudged his taxes and the other was deemed unqualified to be a tax judge by the nation's largest association of lawyers. Both were Republican loyalists.
- Justice officials also gave immigration judgeships to a New Jersey election law specialist who represented GOP candidates, a former treasurer of the Louisiana Republican Party, a White House domestic policy adviser and a conservative crusader against pornography.
At the center of the controversial appointments are D. Kyle Sampson and Monica Goodling. Both claim they did not know they could not consider politics when selecting immigration judges; yet according to the Post article, the Justice Department has confirmed that immigration judges are civil service employees who may not be chosen on the basis of politics.
We will not make cracks about Senior Department of Justice lawyers who did not know the basic law directly related to their jobs. But, we reiterate that we think this is the kind of thing that happens when judges are selected based on something other than merit. And in this case, appointing unqualified immigration judges only compounds the current impasse on immigration reform.
We will not make cracks about Senior Department of Justice lawyers who did not know the basic law directly related to their jobs. But, we reiterate that we think this is the kind of thing that happens when judges are selected based on something other than merit. And in this case, appointing unqualified immigration judges only compounds the current impasse on immigration reform.
