President Trump will confront a familiar figure in the lawsuit over a DREAMer who was deported by federal immigration agents: U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel.Will the law be followed ?
He's the judge who oversaw a lawsuit involving Trump University who Trump accused of being biased because of his "Mexican heritage." Curiel, who was born in Indiana, approved a $25 million settlement between Trump and students who claimed they overpaid for real estate seminars. Trump didn't admit any wrongdoing under the terms of the settlement.
Now, Curiel has been assigned to handle a lawsuit brought on behalf of Juan Manuel Montes, 23, a California resident who was deported in February despite being approved for the Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides protective status for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children.
Curiel's assignment to the case was completely coincidental, according to rules for the Southern District of California. Kari Hong, an assistant professor at Boston College Law School who used to be an attorney in California, said judges are selected based on a rotating schedule. The court sets up a list of available judges and they are assigned each case as they come in.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Trump to face 'Mexican heritage' judge in deported DREAMer case
USA Today reports: