Overview

• Effective Aug. 28, the Executive Office for Immigration Review can appoint temporary immigration judges without immigration-law experience, subject to approval by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
• Temporary appointments run six months and may be renewed without a cap, according to the Federal Register notice.
• Previous rules limited TIJs to former immigration judges, certain administrative law judges, or attorneys with at least 10 years of immigration experience; those categorical requirements are now removed.
• The change follows the firing or departures of more than 100 immigration judges and comes as roughly 3.7 million cases remain pending nationwide.
• DOJ says immigration expertise is not a reliable predictor of success and argues the flexibility will speed adjudications, while advocates and unions warn of politicized appointments, thin training, and due process risks.