DOJ places attorney on leave after struggling in Maryland migrant case

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. Justice Dept. Accuses Top Immigration Lawyer of Failing to Follow Orders

Hat tip, Ken White. I’ve appended the NYT article with his skeet.

Justice Dept. Accuses Top Immigration Lawyer of Failing to Follow Orders

Erez Reuveni conceded in court that the deportation last month of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who had a court order allowing him to stay in the United States, should never have taken place.


The Department of Justice building in Washington. Erez Reuveni was promoted to acting deputy director of the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation two weeks ago. Sarah Silbiger for The New York Times

By Glenn Thrush
Reporting from Washington
April 5, 2025
Updated 6:42 p.m. ET

A senior Justice Department immigration lawyer was put on indefinite leave Saturday after questioning the Trump administration’s decision to deport a Maryland man to El Salvador — one day after representing the government in court. … Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche suspended Erez Reuveni, the acting deputy director of the department’s immigration litigation division, for failing to “follow a directive from your superiors,” according to a letter sent to Mr. Reuveni and obtained by The New York Times.

Mr. Reuveni — who was praised as a “top-notched” prosecutor by his superiors in an email announcing his promotion two weeks ago — is the latest career official to be suspended, demoted, transferred or fired for refusing to comply with a directive from President Trump’s appointees to take actions they deem improper or unethical.

“At my direction, every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a statement sent to The Times on Saturday. “Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences.”

{snip}

Alan Feuer contributed reporting.

Glenn Thrush covers the Department of Justice and has also written about gun violence, civil rights and conditions in the country’s jails and prisons. More about Glenn Thrush

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‪@kenwhite.bsky.social‬

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I want to leave space for people to repent and reform and realize they were wrong. But I think Erez Reuveni knew he was doing the wrong thing, on the wrong side, breaking his oath to the constitution going into this argument. /1

‪Anna Bower‬ ‪@annabower.bsky.social‬
·
1h
Erez Reuveni argued on behalf of the Justice Department during Friday’s hearing in the Abrego Garcia case.

Reuveni has reportedly been placed on leave.

Here’s one exchange with the judge that may have contributed to his ouster:
THE COURT: Mr. Abrego Garcia should not have been removed, right?
MR. REUVENI: Yes.
THE COURT: Can you answer for me, then, on what authority was he seized? When he was --when he was taken off the street, taken out of his car, what authority did those law enforcement officers have to do that?
MR. REUVENI: So, Your Honor, my answer to a lot of these questions is going to be frustrating. I am also frustrated that I have no answers for
you on a lot of these questions.
ALT
April 5, 2025 at 5:47 PM

https://bsky.app/profile/kenwhite.bsky.social/post/3lm3vt4klzc23