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Dana Sabraw
2003 - Present
21
Dana Makoto Sabraw is a chief judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. He joined the court in 2003 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. In 2021, Sabraw became chief judge of the court.[1]
Early life and education
A native of California, Sabraw graduated from American River Junior College with his associate degree in 1978 before graduating from San Diego State with his bachelor's degree in 1980. Sabraw also graduated from the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law with his J.D. in 1985.[2]
Professional career
Sabraw was a private practice attorney licensed in the state of California from 1985 to 1995. Sabraw later became a municipal court judge for the North County Municipal Court of California from 1995 to 1998 before becoming superior judge in the San Diego County Superior Court from 1998 to 2003.[2]
Judicial career
Southern District of California
Sabraw was nominated by George W. Bush on May 1, 2003, to a new judgeship created by 116 Stat. 1758 which was approved by Congress. Sabraw was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 25, 2003, on a 95-0-5 vote and received commission on September 26, 2003.[2][3] Sabraw became chief judge of the court in 2021.[1]
Noteworthy cases
Judge rules separated families must be reunited within 30 days (2018)
- See also: United States District Court for the Southern District of California (Ms. L.; et al., v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; et. al, Case 3:18-cv-00428-DMS-MDD)
- See also: United States District Court for the Southern District of California (Ms. L.; et al., v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; et. al, Case 3:18-cv-00428-DMS-MDD)
On June 26, 2018, Judge Dana Sabraw of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California ruled that migrant families separated at the border must be reunited. Sabraw issued a nationwide injunction against separating migrant families at the border. The ruling specified that children under the age of five held in federal shelters should be returned to their parents by July 10 and children older than the age of five should be returned by July 26. Sabraw stated in the injunction that families were not to be separated unless parents were deemed unfit and added that parents were entitled to speak with their children within 10 days. On July 6, 2018, federal officials asked that these deadlines be extended. Attorneys for the federal government said the following in a statement submitted to the court: "The government does not wish to unnecessarily delay reunification. At the same time, however, the government has a strong interest in ensuring that any release of a child from government custody occurs in a manner that ensures the safety of the child." On July 8, 2018, federal officials informed Sabraw that more than 50 children would be reunited with their families the following day and that approximately 40 others could not yet be reunified with their families due to issues with matching them with their parents or clearing the parents to take custody of the children. Sabraw said, "I am very encouraged about the progress. This is real progress. I'm optimistic that many of these families will be reunited tomorrow."[4][5][6]
On July 10, 2018, federal officials informed Sabraw that 38 of 102 children under the age of five would be reunited with their parents by the end of the day (and that another 16 would be reunited with their parents shortly thereafter). The U.S. Justice Department said, "Any children not being reunified by the July 10 deadline are not being reunified because of legitimate logistical impediments that render timely compliance impossible or excusable, and so defendants are complying with the court's order." Sabraw said, "I intend to stand on the deadline. The government, because of the way the families were separated, has an obligation to reunite and to do it safely and efficiently, that's paramount." Sabraw ordered officials to provide an update on July 12.[7]
On July 12, 2018, federal officials announced that 57 children under 5 years of age had been reunited with their families. Officials noted that another 46 children were not eligible for reunification (e.g., because their parents hadn't cleared background checks, had criminal records, or had been deported). Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services, Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of Homeland Security, and Jeff Sessions, attorney general, said, "As of this morning, the initial reunifications were completed. Throughout the reunification process, our goal has been the well-being of the children and returning them to a safe environment."[8]
On July 16, 2018, Sabraw ordered a temporary halt to the deportation of families reunited under his June 26 ruling. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) requested the move, arguing that it was necessary due to "persistent and increasing rumors — which [federal officials] have refused to deny — that mass deportations may be carried out imminently and immediately upon reunification." Sabraw gave federal officials one week to file a response in opposition to this request.[9][10]
On July 26, 2018, the deadline set by Sabraw for reuniting children over the age of five with their families, federal officials reported that 1,442 such children had been reunited with their parents held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. Another 378 children had been sent either to a sponsor or to their parents held in Department of Homeland Security custody. Another 711 children remained in the care of the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement because their parents were either ineligible or unavailable for reunification. This included 120 children whose parents waived the right to reunification, 431 children whose parents were outside of the United States, and 94 whose parents' locations remained unclear.[11]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Courthouse News Service, "Judge Who Ordered Reunification of Separated Families Promoted to Lead California Court," January 21, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Judge Sabraw's Biography at the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ntquery/D?nomis:1:./temp/ nomisLm8L20:: THOMAS: Judge Sabraw's Nomination, February 17, 2009] (search for "Sabraw")
- ↑ ACLU, "Ms. L v. ICE - Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Motion For Classwide Preliminary Injunction," accessed June 27, 2018
- ↑ NBC News, "Trump admin asks for more time to reunite kids and parents separated at border," July 6, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "More than 50 separated children to be reunited with parents Tuesday," July 9, 2018
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Immigration Deadline for Reuniting Families Remains, Judge Says," July 10, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "Trump administration says it has completed reunifying migrant kids under 5," July 12, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "Judge temporarily halts Trump admin from deporting reunited families," July 16, 2018
- ↑ ABC News, "Judge temporarily halts deportation of reunified families," July 16, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "Hundreds of migrant children still separated from parents as deadline nears," July 26, 2018
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Southern District of California 2003-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California
State courts:
California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts
State resources:
Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California
