Overview

• On August 4, former judges Jennifer Peyton and Carla Espinoza publicly called for explanations of their terminations and filed appeals challenging the actions.
• Both were notified by email—Peyton on July 3 and Espinoza on July 11—that they were removed effective immediately with no reasons provided.
• Peyton says the Justice Department warned judges not to communicate directly with Congress shortly after Sen. Dick Durbin’s visit to the Chicago immigration court.
• Their dismissals have reduced the bench from about 700 to roughly 600 judges, deepening a backlog of nearly 3.7 million pending immigration cases.
• Critics including Durbin contend the unexplained firings threaten judicial independence and say other affected judges are considering broader legal challenges