Filed Date: March 12, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding in progress
The Advocates for Human Rights, a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization that monitors U.S. Immigration Court operations, filed a complaint on March 12, 2026, against several Department of Justice officials in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Judge Rudolph Contreras is presiding over this case. The organization alleged that it had operated an Immigration Court Observation Project at the Fort Snelling Immigration Court since 2017, with volunteers and staff regularly observing removal and bond proceedings under federal regulations requiring immigration court hearings to be generally open to the public. Beginning in early 2025, however, the Fort Snelling Immigration Court increasingly limited or completely blocked public access to hearings, both in-person and by Webex, without prior notice or explanation. These restrictions included locked courtroom doors, ejection of observers from virtual hearings, blanket closure notices, and arbitrary access policies that prevented observers from attending proceedings even when respondents and their attorneys gave permission. The complaint asserted four counts under the Administrative Procedure Act and First Amendment, alleging the restrictions were arbitrary, capricious, implemented without required notice-and-comment procedures, and violated constitutional rights. The organization sought declaratory and injunctive relief requiring defendants to comply with federal regulations governing public access to immigration proceedings.
This case is ongoing.
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72455259/parties/the-advocates-for-human-rights-v-bondi/
Contreras, Rudolph (District of Columbia)
Nagy, Brandon R. (District of Columbia)
Reiter, Harvey L. (District of Columbia)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72455259/the-advocates-for-human-rights-v-bondi/
Last updated March 17, 2026, 9:15 p.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Public Benefits/Government Services
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: March 12, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Case Details
Other Dockets:
District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-00865
Available Documents:
Case Summary of The Advocates For Human Rights v. BONDI, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47904/.