In what appears to be an over-reaction to an immigrant habeas ruling in the state of Maryland, the Department of Justice is demanding the entire federal district court bench in Maryland recuse itself.
Late Tuesday, the DOJ filed a lawsuit naming every federal judge in the district over a standing order that requires a two-day stay in habeas cases, reported Politico's senior legal analyst Kyle Cheney.
In his report on X, Cheney noted, "Never seen this before — the Justice Department is suing ... the entire federal district court bench in Maryland."
Politico's Josh Gerstein added that the Trump DOJ, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, had the option to request the habeas order be vacated, but instead went to the extreme of taking on the entire federal judiciary. As he quipped, "heck, swing for the fences! "
In the filing, the DOJ asserted, "Plaintiffs also request that this matter be referred to the Fourth Circuit Clerk’s Office for assignment of a randomly selected district judge from another District or transfer to another District."
In late May, Maryland federal Chief Judge George L. Russell III issued a ruling that the U.S. government is "'enjoined and restrained from removing Petitioners from the continental United States or altering their legal status' until 4 p.m. on the second business day after the filing," reported WUSA9.
You can read the filing here.