Once again, Judge Lewis Kaplan has popped up to become a problem for Donald Trump.
That name should sound familiar, as it was Kaplan who crushed Trump during the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial.
Now Kaplan has drawn an immigration case, and, not surprisingly, he ruled against the administration.
Kaplan has been on the bench since 1994, first appointed by Bill Clinton.
He served as a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and was promoted to Senior Judge of that district in 2011.
He has had some rather notable cases, including Chevron v. Donzinger, but he is probably best known for having crushed Trump during the E. Jean Carroll case.
Now, it just seems like he rules against Trump every chance he gets.
Kaplan ruled against Trump at just about every stage of the Carroll case, including when Trump asked to defer the verdict payment, which was more than $83 million.
The verdict was official in February 2024, at which point Trump was given 30 days to pay up or post a bond to satisfy the verdict, even though Trump had planned to appeal the ruling.
Kaplan showed no mercy for Trump at the time, stating, “Mr. Trump’s current situation is a result of his own dilatory actions.”
Trump was clearly frustrated at the losses he was taking in court at the time, but he tried to brush off the loss, stating, “I have a lot of money. I can do what I want to do … I don’t worry about the money.”
I find it rather ironic that now the conditions of ICE facilities are a “thing,” when we heard nary a complaint during other administrations, even though we have seen photos showing some rather horrid conditions over the years.
With Trump now in an illegal immigration purge, Judge Kaplan is back in the picture, ruling that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) needs to immediately improve the conditions at a holding facility in Manhattan.
A case was filed against ICE by a civil rights group, with Kaplan stating, “There seems to be quite a gap between the ICE standards, indeed, and what’s really happening.” Kaplan ordered ICE to provide the illegals with a host of supplies, including a third meal upon request.
DHS has already stated that it will appeal the ruling, noting that this is more of a transition center than a holding facility, stating, “This order and this lawsuit are driven by complete fiction about 26 Federal Plaza. The fact of the matter here is the Trump administration is carrying out the largest deportation operation in American history and is removing the worst of the worst from American communities.”
