S. 3326, the Temporary Immigration Judge Integrity Act, would authorize the Attorney General to appoint experienced immigration law professionals as temporary immigration judges for renewable six-month terms to help clear the backlog of cases in immigration courts. The temporary judges would be selected from former immigration judges, Board of Immigration Appeals members, certain federal administrative law judges with at least ten years of immigration law experience, and Department of Justice attorneys with similar expertise. These temporary appointees would have the same authority as permanent immigration judges but would be subject to oversight, require at least eight weeks of initial training plus ongoing training (with exemptions for recently retired judges), and could serve no more than four consecutive six-month terms followed by a mandatory three-year waiting period before reappointment. The bill includes a congressional statement that temporary judges are not intended to replace permanent immigration judges or delay the appointment of permanent positions, and it emphasizes that immigration judges must have extensive knowledge of immigration law due to the complex and high-stakes nature of these cases. The legislation does not specify funding amounts or include detailed timelines beyond the appointment and training requirements.
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