February 6, 2026

On Tuesday, the president signed a bill to fund government agencies through the end of the fiscal year and fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for an additional two weeks while negotiations were ongoing. At this point, it is unclear whether an agreement can be reached by that deadline. While the Senate was debating what to do about ICE, which a sizable majority of Americans say has gone too far, lawmakers confirmed six more of the president’s judicial nominees (some of whom, ironically, may be asked to rule on ICE-related matters). The confirmed judges are: Justin Olson (50-47) to the District Court of the Southern District of Indiana (opposed by NCJW); Nicholas Ganjei (opposed by NCJW) to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas (51-45); Megan Benton to the District Court for the Western District of Missouri (51-46); and Brian Lea to the District Court for the Western District of Tennessee (50-46). Receiving Democratic support for confirmation were David Fowlkes to the District Court for the Western District of Arkansas (54-40) and Aaron Peterson to the District Court for the District of Alaska (58-39). That makes 33 Trump judges confirmed. No new nominees have been announced.

ICE and immigration issues have been occupying federal court judges, too. Here’s a look at some of the latest cases.

With Temporary Protective Status (TPS) set to end for Haitian immigrants this week, Biden-nominated Judge Ana Reyes of the District Court for the District of Columbia issued a temporary stay which blocked the administration from ending TPS for some 350,000 Haitians. TPS allows Haitians to live and work legally in the US. Judge Reyes said that she felt that the plaintiffs were likely to prevail in their effort to block the end of TPS and, in unusually stark language, that DHS Secretary Noem made her decision based on “hostility to nonwhite immigrants.”
Judge Fred Biery, a Clinton nominated judge in the District Court for the Western District of Texas, issued a scathing ruling freeing five-year-old Liam Ramos from immigrant detention. Liam Ramos captured national attention as he stood with his blue bunny hat and spiderman backpack with ICE agents who used him as bait to lure his father into their custody. Judge Biery’s opinion minced no words as he condemned, “… the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.”
Judge Michael Simon, an Obama nominee on the District Court for the District of Oregon, temporarily restricted the use of chemical or projectile munitions against protestors at Portland’s ICE office. A hearing is scheduled for March 2 on this issue. In his decision he wrote: “in a well-functioning constitutional democratic republic, free speech, courageous newsgathering, and nonviolent protest are all permitted, respected, and even celebrated.”
A three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court ruled that Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools did not violate a substitute teacher’s rights by requiring her to use transgender students’ chosen pronouns. Voting in the majority were Judge Stephanie Thacker (Obama nominated) and Judge Robert King (Clinton nominated). Judge Harvie Wilkinson, a Reagan nominee, dissented.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotely (Clinton nominee) of the District Court for the District of Columbia struck down part of Trump’s Executive Order mandating that the Department of Defense and federal agencies require proof of citizenship for voting. Her ruling emphasized the importance of the Constitution’s separation of powers in voting.

► Senate Judiciary Committee

The following nominees appeared at the judiciary committee’s February 4 hearing: Anna St. John to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (opposed by NCJW), John Thomas Shepherd to the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, and Andrew Davis and Chris Wolfe to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. Under questioning from Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the nominees skirted the opportunity to say that President Biden won the popular vote in 2020 and to condemn the January 6 insurrection. These nominees are likely to get a committee vote on March 5. NCJW is one of many groups opposing Anna St. John, a nominee who spent her legal career silencing women, attacking LGBTQ+ rights, and cutting off corporate accountability for everyday people as head of the Hamilton Legal Law Institute, a far-right extremist organization that routinely files lawsuits to attack civil rights, undermine consumer protections, eliminate gender equality, and deny basic human rights.

► ICYMI

(Alliance for Justice) Loyalty litmus: the first year of Trump 2.0’s federal courts

(The 19th) No women of color appointed to federal judgeships in Trump’s first year back

(Slate) The horrifying truth behind Liam Ramos’ abduction

(NYTimes) How the Supreme Court secretly made itself even more secretive

(Democracy Docket) Appeals court tosses DOJ’s misconduct claim against judge

(Scotusblog) Supreme Court allows California to use congressional map benefitting Democrats