Ugh the hackiest of judicial hacks https://twitter.com/mjs_dc/status/1322602843661021184

Unfortunately, Andrew Hanen is *exactly* the kind of judge whose excessive enthusiasm, personal interest, and emotional involvement in a case will lead him to corrupted, partisan decision-making. We've all seen this movie with him before. 1/
https://twitter.com/JonDMichaels/status/1322632154325549056

Hanen is best known for his partisan rulings blocking the 2014 Obama immigration initiatives, DAPA and expanded DACA. But his history of improper, partisan conduct on the bench runs deeper, as I discussed in this 2015 article (and several others): http://klhn.co/deferredaction  2/

Hanen was a Trump judge before there were Trump judges. In several cases gratuitously attacking Obama administration policies and officials, he tossed aside the norms of adjudication and exhibited a high degree of personal interest, animosity, and emotional involvement. 3/

In 2010, Hanen falsely accused USCIS officials of being "accessories after the fact" to a drug trafficking offense, in a ranty, gratuitous opinion that had no bearing on the judicial decision-making actually required in the case. 4/

But Hanen was just getting warmed up. In 2013, he accused Obama admin officials of "participating in a criminal conspiracy" w/"evil individuals." Why? Officials released a 10-year-old girl to her mother's custody and exercised discretion not to pursue charges against the mom. 5/

In 2014, months before his partisan assault on DAPA & DACA, Hanen blasted and second guessed an immigration judge's decision (granting relief under the Torture Convention) because it didn't comport w/Hanen's own immigration policy preferences. 6/

Once again, Hanen acknowledged he lacked jurisdiction over these issues. Undeterred, he opined that asylum and humanitarian relief had become an "open invitation to the most dangerous villains of society," turning "Main Street America" into a "rogue's gallery." (Subtle.) 7/

Hanen then offered detailed, armchair analysis on the relationship btw the Obama admin's implementation of asylum law and criminal activity by drug cartels—based not on anything in the judicial record, but on his “first-hand, in-the-trenches-knowledge of the border situation.” 8/

Given this history of partisan, injudicious commentary—more suitable for a political blog or cable TV shoutfest than for judicial decisions—it was hardly any surprise when he passed judgment on DAPA and DACA in essentially the same manner. 9/

Hanen later attacked @BarackObama personally, advancing a partisan, wildly false claim—based on what he read somewhere on the interwebs—that Obama personally “ordered" that the immigration laws "are not to be enforced, and that anyone who attempts to do so will be punished.” 10/

(In tonight's performance of "Space Force," the role of Duncan Tabner will be played by Andrew Hanen) 10a/

The substance of Hanen's opinions blocking DAPA and DACA were a complete mess. He tossed the law into a conceptual word salad that only made sense in partisan political terms, not legal terms. 11/

In sum, Andrew Hanen is a deeply partisan judicial crackpot. This is the guy in whose hands the fate of 100,000 TX ballots currently rests. To adapt Judge Rovner's recent dissenting opinion, "Good luck and G-d bless, Texas. You are going to need it." 12/ https://twitter.com/AriBerman/status/1314271644853186560