United States Alien Terrorist Removal Court

Alien Terrorist Removal Court of the United States
(T.R.C.)
LocationE. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse[1]
(Washington, D.C.)
Appeals toDistrict of Columbia Circuit
EstablishedApril 24, 1996 (1996-04-24)
AuthorityArticle III court
Created byAntiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
8 U.S.C. §§ 1531–1537
Composition methodChief Justice assignment[2]
Judges5
Judge term length5 years
Chief JudgeJoan N. Ericksen
www.atrc.uscourts.gov

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court of the United States[1] (ATRC) is a special court in the U.S. federal judiciary whose purpose is to adjudicate removal proceedings against aliens (foreigners) on grounds that they are terrorists.[3] The court consists of five Article III judges assigned[2] by the Chief Justice of the United States.[4] Appeals from the ATRC are taken by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and then, if certiorari is granted, to the Supreme Court.[5]

History

April 1996 to June 2026

The court was created by Section 401 of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. §§ 1531–1537). For 30 years after its creation in 1996, the ATRC had conducted no proceedings because no Attorney General had applied for removal proceedings there.[5] While the constitutionality of the ATRC has not been ruled on, legal scholars have speculated that it was left dormant over due process concerns surrounding the possible use of secret evidence in its proceedings.[6][7]

In re Zada (July 2026 to present)

On July 15, 2026, the acting U.S. Attorney General submitted the court's first application.[7][8] Later, on July 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) posted a press release, which specified "Nazira Haji Zada, 47, residing in Fort Worth, Texas," as the person whose removal is sought before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court.[9] Zada is the mother and mother-in-law, respectively, of two Afghan nationals who were convicted in 2024 for their involvement in a foiled Islamic State terror plot.[10] Zada herself was not charged in connection with the plot, but DOJ alleges that she "supported" plot and "pledged loyalty to ISIS."[11] Matthew Farley, the attorney representing Zada, asked the court for her release from immigration detention and alleged that the "entire [Alien Terrorist Removal Court] scheme is in violation of due process and unconstitutional."[12]

Current

As of 2026:[13]

Judge Judicial district Date appointed Term expiry
Joan N. Ericksen[a] District of Minnesota 2023 2028
Kenneth M. Karas Southern District of New York 2022 2027
Karin Immergut District of Oregon 2026 2031
Timothy D. DeGiusti Western District of Oklahoma 2025 2030
Sara Elizabeth Lioi Northern District Court of Ohio 2025 2030

Former

As of 2026:[13]

Judge Judicial district Date appointed Term expiry
Alfred M. Wolin District of New Jersey 1996 2004
Earl H. Carroll[a] District of Arizona 1996 2006
David Dudley Dowd Jr. Northern District of Ohio 1996 2014
Michael Anthony Telesca Western District of New York 1996 2015
William Clark O'Kelley Northern District of Georgia 1996 2017
James Cacheris[a] Eastern District of Virginia 2005 2016
Harold Baker Central District of Illinois 2008 2018
Rosemary M. Collyer[a] District of Columbia 2016 2020
James Parker Jones Western District of Virginia 2016 2021
Thomas B. Russell Western District of Kentucky 2016 2021
Anne C. Conway Middle District of Florida 2017 2022
Michael W. Mosman District of Oregon 2018 2023
Liam O'Grady Eastern District of Virginia 2021 2023
James Boasberg[a] District of Columbia 2020 2025

Chief judges

Succession of seats


See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Chief judge.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 "Rules for the Alien Terrorist Removal Court of the United States". Federal Criminal Code and Rules (2025 ed.). Thomson Reuters. pp. 257–258. ISBN 9798350210057.
  2. 1 2 Vladeck, Steve (July 20, 2026). "The Alien Terrorist Removal Court's First Case". Just Security. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  3. ↑ Greenhouse, Linda (August 7, 2013). "Too Much Work?". Opinionator. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Alien Terrorist Removal Court Members Selected" (Press release). Administrative Office of the United States Courts. September 1996. Archived from the original on April 16, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Alien Terrorist Removal Court, 1996–present". Federal Judicial Center. Archived from the original on July 19, 2026. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  6. ↑ Niles, John Dorsett (April 2008). "Assessing the Constitutionality of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court". Duke Law Journal. 57 (6) 7: 1833–1864. ISSN 0012-7086. JSTOR 40040634. OCLC 9971433033. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Cheney, Kyle; Gerstein, Josh (July 18, 2026). "Trump Administration Activates Never-before-used 'Alien Terrorist' Deportation Court". Politico. Archived from the original on July 18, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  8. ↑ Hughes, Seamus (July 18, 2026). "Alien Terrorist Removal Court Has Its First Case". Court Watch. Archived from the original on July 18, 2026. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Department of Justice Files First Case in U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court to Deport Afghan Alien Who Supported Her Family's Plans for Election-Day Shooting". United States Department of Justice. July 30, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  10. ↑ Tucker, Eric; Kunzelman, Michael (July 30, 2026). "US uses dormant court to seek deportation of Afghan woman accused of aiding terror plot". Associated Press. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  11. ↑ Feuer, Alan; Sella, Adam (July 30, 2026). "U.S. Revives Obscure Court in Bid to Deport Afghan Woman". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  12. ↑ Lynch, Sarah (July 30, 2026). "Afghan woman plans to fight DOJ efforts to deport her over allegation she is an "alien terrorist"". CBS News. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 "Alien Terrorist Removal Court: Judges". Federal Judicial Center. n.d. Archived from the original on July 19, 2026. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
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