Insanity! Off the record comments by an IJ: non-detained IJs were pressured to double and tripplebook individual hearings in regular 240 proceedings and limit case presentation to no more than 2 hrs regardless of legal issues & witnesses in 42B & asylum and 1 hrs for any other
LA immigration court has been triple booking for decades but many other courts have not and have resisted that practice for years. The practice is horrible for everyone as you do not know which of the cases will actually go forward.
My judge said this is aspect & byproduct of the performance quota and is very difficult for them. Court Admin are basically breathing in their necks 4 going over time limit. If this is true across country this is another level of awful. I know we can hardly call EOIR "court" ...
... but still. The court [will not name coz I don;t want to cause issues] I was not double booking individuals but now does. We had 3 merits (all old 2-11 yrs old) and 2 cases reported ready the oldest one wanted continuance. I had narrowed the issues w OPLA before so was able..
... to tell the judge "we will be done fast". I felt awful for the other merit case. Counsel had 4 witnesses ready & present but had not provided affidavits in advance so IJ was well we have two hours slot & any time left from my case, you budget it. They also had interpreter so
having Resp + 4 witnesses in 3 hrs is just absurd. It takes time to develop testimony & consecutive interpretation things drag and drag. I don't know how the case turned out but as we got out the atty looked pale & anxious. Her Client, the respondent, was clinging to the hand of
her beautiful daughter (maybe 4-5 years old) and smiled at me with a shy smile of a person who was terrified as to what was coming next. The atty asked me, is IJ X mad at me? JFC, like our job is not tough enough that attorneys have to worry that they can anger a judge for
producing live witnesses ready to testify. F*cking unreal.
*I was in, was not double booking ...
