Thread: NYTimes-Asylum Seekers Face Unsympathetic Judges

August 24, 2008
Vetted Judges More Likely to Reject Asylum Bids
By CHARLIE SAVAGE

WASHINGTON — Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States have been disproportionately rejected by judges whom the Bush administration chose using a conservative political litmus test, according to an analysis of Justice Department data.

The analysis suggests that the effects of a patronage-style selection process for immigration judges — used for three years before it was abandoned as illegal — are still being felt by scores of immigrants whose fates are determined by the judges installed in that period.

The data focuses on 16 judges who were vetted for political affiliation before being hired and have since ruled on at least 100 cases each.

Comparison of their records to others in the same cities shows that as a group they ruled against asylum-seekers significantly more often than colleagues who were appointed, as the law requires, under politically neutral rules.

Critics of the politicization of the immigration bench say it is not enough that in 2007 the department stopped using illegal hiring procedures. The fact that many of the politically selected judges remain in power, they say, continues to undermine the perceived fairness of hearings for immigrants fighting deportation.

The immigration court “is now the seat of individuals who were appointed illegally, and that means that in the minds of many people the court symbolizes illegality,â€

Yeah ok, like the democrats wouldn't have done the same with liberal judges? We are not the world's "mommy"!

GOOD!!! Over half of the asylum seekers are lying!!

[size=150][quote]The so-called ‘loyal Bushies’ that they stuffed into these positions will also have gotten away with it and will be there essentially indefinitely, protected by civil-service protections that they don’t deserve,â€

Seems to me like we have had more judges siding with the ACLU. Chamber of Commerence. LULAC. LARAZA etc, they have have with the law or the American People!