⚖️🗽✒️🗡️💪🏼🧠❤️ PEN & SWORD TRAINS THE NEW GENERATION OF IMMIGRATION DUE PROCESS LITIGATORS — STRONG, SMART, FEARLESS! — SCENES FROM KANSAS CITY!

It was a “full house:” full of talent, energy, skills, and determination to fight for due process for all! Thanks to all who participated from across the nation. This year’s timely focus was on detention and bond.

I was honored to serve on this distinguished and congenial faculty. Kudos to “Dean” Rekha Sharma-Crawford for her leadership in putting everything together and making it happen! (All while winning two TROs against the DHS overreach in “real time.” Nothing like showing “applied practical scholarship” to inspire and motivate a student body!)

⚖️🗽Due Process Forever!

PWS

04-30-25

  

🏈GREEN BAY FEELS THE LOVE ❤️ — & THE ECONOMIC BOOST 💵 — OF HOSTING THE NFL DRAFT!

https://madison.com/news/state-regional/article_035818b4-8d74-4368-95f0-32e179c2c7e2.html

Packers
Packers Take the Field, To Cheers of Enthusiastic & Highly Entertaining Fans in Front of Us!
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers

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PWS

04-24-25

⚖️🗽🛡️⚔️ANOTHER PROUD ACHIEVEMENT FOR OUR ROUND TABLE: SPEAKING UP FOR DUE PROCESS IN MONSALVO-VELAZQUEZ V. BONDI (SCT)

Jeffrey S. Chase
Hon. Jeffrey S. Chase
Jeffrey S. Chase Blog
Coordinator & Chief Spokesperson, Round Table of Former Immigration Judges

From Hon. “Sir Jeffrey” S. Chase:

Hi all: The Supreme Court issued its decision today in Monsalvo-Velazquez v. Bondi, in which our Round Table filed an amicus brief at the request of Petitioner’s counsel.
I’m happy to report that in a 5-4 decision written by Justice Gorsuch (attached), the Court agreed with the position that when the deadline for voluntary departure falls on a weekend or holiday, the period for VD extends to the next business day.
We had explained in our brief that this reading is consistent with long-settled practices in the immigration courts.
Congrats to all, and much thanks to attorneys Collin White and Scott Angstreich of the law firm of Kellogg Hansen for representing us on the brief..
For our new members, this is the fifth time that the Round Table has filed a brief in a winning Supreme Court case. The others are:
Niz-Chavez v. Garland, holding that the INA’s “stop time” rule for cancellation of removal may only be triggered by the filing of an NTA that is a single document, containing all the necessary information (this decision made many thousands eligible for cancellation of removal);
Nasrallah v. Barr, allowing CAT applicants to seek judicial review of factual challenges to a CAT order notwithstanding the limitations created by sections 1252(a)(2)(C) and (D) of the Act;
Wilkinson v. Garland, holding that hardship determinations in cancellation B cases are mixed questions of fact and law, and are therefore reviewable by circuit courts; and
Santos-Zacaria v. Garland, which held that where the BIA commits error in its decision, a respondent need not first seek reopening by the Board in order to exhaust its remedies before seeking judicial review.
I think this is a record to be very proud of.

All my best, Jeff

Co-author, with Deborah E. Anker, Law of Asylum in the United States, 2024 Edition (Thomson Reuters)
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🇺🇸⚖️🗽 DUE PROCESS FOREVER!

PWS
04-24-25

⚖️🐟😷 BIA’S IMPROPER FACT-FINDING FAILS THE “DEAD FISH TEST” SAYS ROUND TABLE ⚔️🛡️ IN LATEST AMICUS BRIEF (CA 11)!

Dead Fish
The BIA’s use of wrong standard to deny life-saving relief really, really stinks!
PHOTO: Wikipedia Commons

Excerpt:

This Circuit has long recognized the clearly erroneous standard, articulating it memorably as requiring the appellate body to find that the factual findings are “wrong with the force of a five-week-old, unrefrigerated dead fish.” Cox Enters., Inc. v. News-Journal Corp., 794 F.3d 1259, 1272 n.92 (11th Cir. 2015) (quoting Parts & Elec. Motors, Inc. v. Sterling Elec. Inc., 866 F.2d 228, 233 (7th Cir. 1988)). Rather than follow this approach, in the case at bar the Board instead treated the immigration judge’s findings like fresh sushi-grade tuna, ready to be cut and served as the BIA wished.

Here’s the complete brief:

Hernandez-Landaverde – Roundtable Amicus Brief

Here’s more coverage, employing the “Sushi Doctrine:”

Ex-Judges Say BIA Wrongly Looking For _Sushi-Grade Tuna_ – Law360

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Many thanks and endless gratitude to our pro bono hero 🦸‍♀️ Ashley Vinson Crawford, Esquire, and the rest of her team at Akin Gump! 

🇺🇸Due Process Forever!

PWS

04-17-25

🎭🗽THE ARTS: AS THE TRUMP KAKISTOCRACY MOVES TO DUMB DOWN THE ARTS & SHAMELESSLY WHITEWASH AMERICAN HISTORY, COMPELLING STORIES ABOUT AMERICA’S IMMIGRANTS TAKE CENTER STAGE BEYOND THE KENCEN!

“In The Heights”
“In The Heights”
PHOTO: Signature Theater

“There’s so much crying from Republicans that racism is over and it’s done,” Leguizamo said in October. “Well, try being a Latin person one day in America and see what racism does to you, with them destroying the DEI programs and affirmative action. It’s so undermining of creating a better and stronger country.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/04/09/in-the-heights-signature-immigrant-synetic/

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Immigrant storytelling through compelling, well-conducted, skillfully organized direct examination is one of the skills NDPA faculty litigators have been teaching at various seminars and workshops, like the upcoming Immigration Court Trial Litigation College sponsored by Pen & Sword ✒️🗡️ scheduled for later this month in Kansas City. Many thanks to our “Dean” of the Trial College, Rekha Sharma-Crawford, for making it happen. Life can imitate art, and the “real-life drama of the Immigration Court” — where human lives and our nation‘s future are at stake every day — is more compelling than any TV legal series!

🇺🇸🗽⚖️ Due Process Forever!

PWS

04-12-25

🏆🏒CONGRATS TO ALEX OVECHKIN & THE CAPS ON # 895! — Many thought that Wayne Gretzky’s three-decade-old record could never be broken!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/04/06/alex-ovechkin-gretzky-goals-record-capitals-islanders/

Wayne Gretzky was on hand to offer congratulations!

Here’s a nice piece from former NFL player Ken Dryden on why Ovechkin’s achievement is so impressive:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/06/ovechkin-capitals-hockey-goals-record/

PWS

04-06-25

 

🇺🇸⚖️🗽⚔️🛡️ THE THINGS WE DO, BIG & LITTLE, IN ADVOCATING FOR DUE PROCESS, FUNDAMENTAL FAIRNESS, COMMON SENSE & HUMAN DIGNITY MATTER! — Federal Judge cites Round Table’s Amicus Brief in support of key finding in halting Administration’s abuse of children facing Immigration Court!💪🏼👍🏼😎

Knightess
Knightess of the Round Table

Hon “Sir Jeffrey” Chase of the Round Table writes:

“See attached order: a TRO issued late last night. And our Round Table brief was mentioned:

The Court additionally finds that the continued funding of legal representation for unaccompanied children

promotes efficiency and fairness within the immigration system. See generally Br. for Amicus

Curiae Former Immigration Judges & Former Members of the Board of Immigration Appeals

(ECF 28). A temporary restraining order enjoining the Cancellation Order serves the public interest.

Thanks to all!”

Here’s the full decision granting the TRO:

ORDER TRO 2

And, here’s a link to our brief as recently posted on “Courtside:”

https://immigrationcourtside.com/2025/03/31/%e2%9a%96%ef%b8%8f%f0%9f%97%bd%f0%9f%91%a6%f0%9f%8f%bd%f0%9f%91%b6%f0%9f%8f%bc%f0%9f%9b%a1%ef%b8%8f%e2%9a%94%ef%b8%8f-saving-the-children-round-table-amicus-brief-supports-pro-bono-services-for/

 

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🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

04-02-25