The Alien Terrorist Removal Court of the United States (ATRC) is a special court in the U.S. federal judiciary whose purpose is to adjudicate removal proceedings against aliens alleged to be terrorists. The court consists of five Article III judges assigned by the Chief Justice of the United States. Appeals from the ATRC are taken by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and then, if certiorari is granted, to the Supreme Court.
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History
April 1996 to June 2026
The court was created by Section 401 of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. §§ 1531–1537). For 30 years after its creation in 1996, the ATRC had conducted no proceedings because no Attorney General had applied for removal proceedings there. While the constitutionality of the ATRC has not been ruled on, legal scholars have speculated that it was left dormant over due process concerns surrounding the possible use of secret evidence in its proceedings.
In re Zada (July 2026 to present)
On July 15, 2026, the acting U.S. Attorney General submitted the court's first application. Later, on July 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) posted a press release, which specified "Nazira Haji Zada, 47, residing in Fort Worth, Texas," as the person whose removal is sought before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court. Zada is the mother and mother-in-law, respectively, of two Afghan nationals who were convicted in 2024 for their involvement in a foiled Islamic State terror plot. Zada herself was not charged in connection with the plot, but DOJ alleges that she "supported" plot and "pledged loyalty to ISIS." Matthew Farley, the attorney representing Zada, asked the court for her release from immigration detention and alleged that the "entire [Alien Terrorist Removal Court] scheme is in violation of due process and unconstitutional."
Current
As of 2026:
Former
As of 2026: