Temporary Immigration Judge Integrity Act

HR 6497, the Temporary Immigration Judge Integrity Act, establishes specific rules for appointing temporary immigration judges to handle cases while permanent judges are being hired. It limits temporary judges to 6-month terms (renewable up to four times for a maximum of 24 months), requires them to have at least 10 years of immigration law experience (e.g., former judges, DOJ attorneys, or experienced administrative law judges), and mandates 8 weeks of initial training plus weekly training unless they recently served as permanent judges. The bill also requires the Attorney General to oversee caseloads and performance, ensuring temporary judges have the same authority as permanent judges but emphasizing they should not replace permanent positions. This directly affects immigration courts and the temporary judges appointed under these new standards.