Pam Bondi’s Justice Department admitted in a federal court filing that it broke court orders over 50 times in over 500 immigration cases in New Jersey since early December. This information comes from documents submitted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
In an 11-page statement and accompanying letter, the office noted 54 violations across 547 immigration cases since December 5, according to Mediaite. The disclosure was made in response to a federal judge’s inquiry about following court rules in immigration cases.
The filing was submitted by Jordan Fox, who is the chief of staff to the U.S. deputy attorney general and associate deputy attorney general, and a special attorney for the United States. The publication reported that the statement detailed how prosecutors failed to meet court deadlines or didn’t follow specific orders from judges in immigration matters.
The cases in question were handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and involved immigration enforcement actions in federal court. The reported violations only apply to this district and to incidents that happened since December 5, according to the filing.
The statement acknowledged that the office “did not comply” with certain court orders and explained the steps the department is taking to fix these lapses. Mediaite reported that the filing followed a federal judge’s concerns about repeated failures to follow judicial orders in immigration cases.
NEW: DOJ told a judge in New Jersey that it had violated court orders about 54 times between Dec. 5 and this week — the latest accounting of a phenomenon that used to be rare and is now rampant. https://t.co/WfftWFnn8X pic.twitter.com/u4UBSUCxJe
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) February 18, 2026
The disclosure does not state that all 547 cases had violations. Instead, it indicates that 54 violations occurred in that group of cases. The report notes that the filing included details about the types of noncompliance, like missed deadlines and failures to submit necessary documents on time.
The Justice Department has not issued a separate public statement besides the court submission. The filing shows that the office has put in place additional review procedures to prevent more violations and ensure adherence to court orders.
Federal immigration cases often involve requests for detention, removal, or related relief. Judges issue scheduling orders and other instructions that the government must follow during litigation. Not following those orders can lead to sanctions or other corrective actions by the court.
The filing does not say whether any sanctions have been imposed in the identified cases. Mediaite reported that the judge has asked for a complete account of compliance after noting recurring lapses.
The reported violations happened during a time of increased immigration enforcement under the embattled Pam Bondi. The disclosure in New Jersey relates only to cases handled by that district’s U.S. Attorney’s Office and does not cover practices in other federal districts.
It is unclear from the filing whether the violations affected the outcomes of the immigration cases involved. The Justice Department’s submission, according to Mediaite, emphasizes procedural noncompliance rather than substantive rulings.
As of Tuesday, there have been no additional filings indicating similar compliance reviews in other areas. However, Bondi’s DOJ has been under fire for numerous court order violations. In the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a judge said he was wrongfully deported, and ICE cannot take him back into custody.
