Court weighs unusual Trump lawsuit against Maryland-based federal judges

A judge will consider a Trump administration lawsuit against all 15 federal judges in Maryland over an order related to immigration and deportations.

BALTIMORE — A judge on Wednesday will consider an unprecedented lawsuit in which the Trump administration sued all 15 Maryland-based federal judges over a standing order related to deportation cases.

The case is the latest escalation of the Trump administration's war on the judiciary, which has been marked by criticism of judges who have ruled against the government over President Donald Trump's bold and aggressive use of executive power.

At issue is a standing order issued by Chief Judge George Russell on May 21 and updated a week later that set rules for handling cases involving immigrants facing immediate risk of deportation. The order applies a temporary stay of deportation of a few days while the case is considered.

Russell is the top judge in the district of Maryland, which covers the entire state, and part of his job to set certain procedures for how cases are administered.

The order came in response to the flurry of actions taken by the Trump administration relating to immigration, including moves to deport people without due process. One of the most high-profile cases in the country, involving a Salvadoran man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported back to his native country before eventually being returned, arose in Maryland.