Fired Immigration Judges Appeal MSPB Ruling to Federal Circuit; Decision Could Reshape Civil Service Protections

Two fired immigration judges, Megan Jackler and Brandon Jaroch, filed a petition for review at the Federal Circuit on March 24, challenging an MSPB ruling that the president can fire immigration judges under Article II constitutional authority without civil service due process. The MSPB's two Republican members reversed an administrative judge's August 2025 ruling that had ordered their reinstatement, asserting that immigration judges are 'inferior officers' not entitled to civil service protections. The judges' counsel argued this contradicts over a century of binding Supreme Court precedent. The case could fundamentally alter the independence of the immigration court system and set broader precedent for executive removal power over federal adjudicators.