The Alien Terrorist Removal Court of the United States (ATRC) is a special court in the U.S. federal judiciary whose purpose is to adjudicate removal proceedings against aliens alleged to be terrorists. The court consists of five Article III judges assigned by the chief justice of the United States. Appeals from the ATRC are taken by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and then, if certiorari is granted, to the Supreme Court.
History
April 1996 to June 2026 The court was created by Section 401 of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (). For 30 years after its creation in 1996, the ATRC had conducted no proceedings because no Attorney General had applied for removal proceedings there. While the constitutionality of the ATRC has not been ruled on, legal scholars have speculated that it was left dormant over due process concerns surrounding the possible use of secret evidence in its proceedings.
In re Zada (July 2026 to September 2026) On July 15, 2026, U.S. attorney general Todd Blanche submitted the court's first application. Later, on July 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) posted a press release, which specified "Nazira Haji Zada, 47, residing in Fort Worth, Texas", as the person whose removal is sought before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. Zada is the mother and mother-in-law, respectively, of two Afghan nationals who were convicted in 2024 for their involvement in a foiled Islamic State terror plot. Zada herself was not charged in connection with the plot, but DOJ alleges that she "supported" the plot and "pledged loyalty to ISIS". Matthew Farley, the attorney representing Zada, asked the court for her release from immigration detention and alleged that the "entire [Alien Terrorist Removal Court] scheme is in violation of due process and unconstitutional".
In September 2026, the court issued an order of removal against Nazira Haji Zada. She was subsequently removed to Afghanistan after conceding to her designation as an "alien terrorist" and waiving her right to appeal. This was the first successful DOJ-litigated case before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court since the creation of the court by Congress over three decades earlier.
Current As of 2026: Judge Judicial district Date appointed Term expiry Joan N. Ericksen District of Minnesota 2023 2028 Kenneth M. Karas Southern District of New York 2022 2027 Karin Immergut District of Oregon 2026 2031 Timothy D. DeGiusti Western District of Oklahoma 2025 2030 Sara Elizabeth Lioi Northern District Court of Ohio 2025 2030
Former : Judge Judicial district Date appointed Term expiry Alfred M. Wolin District of New Jersey 1996 2004 Earl H. Carroll District of Arizona 1996 2006 David Dudley Dowd Jr. Northern District of Ohio 1996 2014 Michael Anthony Telesca Western District of New York 1996 2015 William Clark O'Kelley Northern District of Georgia 1996 2017 James Cacheris Eastern District of Virginia 2005 2016 Harold Baker Central District of Illinois 2008 2018 Rosemary M. Collyer District of Columbia 2016 2020 James Parker Jones Western District of Virginia 2016 2021 Thomas B. Russell Western District of Kentucky 2016 2021 Anne C. Conway Middle District of Florida 2017 2022 Michael W. Mosman District of Oregon 2018 2023 Liam O'Grady Eastern District of Virginia 2021 2023 James Boasberg District of Columbia 2020 2025
Chief judges
Succession of seats
See also Special Immigration Appeals Commission, a British court with a similar purview
Notes
References