Military lawyer fired after rejecting Trump deportation order
A U.S. Army Reserve attorney, Christopher Day, was dismissed around December 2 after serving only a month as a temporary immigration judge at the Annandale, Virginia, court, where he began hearing cases in late October. Day’s November rulings showed a high rate of favorable outcomes: of 11 cases decided, he granted asylum or similar relief in six.
The decision follows a broader Trump‑era strategy that has fired almost 100 immigration judges viewed as “too liberal” and accelerated the removal of the federal backlog of 3.8 million asylum requests. The administration also broadened the pool of “deportation judges” by allowing attorneys of any background to serve on immigration courts.
In November, the federal data reveal that military‑appointed judges ordered removal 78 % of the time, compared with 63 % for all other judges. Ten percent of cases handled by Day were granted relief, a higher rate than most military judges.
Retired immigration judge Dana Leigh Marks noted that a five‑week tenure ending in a dismissal is rare and likely reflects ideological conflict. Army regulations oblige JAG officers to maintain candor and honesty, and the Uniform Command of Military Justice prohibits retaliation against attorneys for court decisions.
Day, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve JAG Corps, had previously worked for the Federal Communications Commission during the Biden administration. He completed a two‑week training course for new judges in October that included officers detailed by the Pentagon, who received incentives for the temporary assignments.