WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Sunday ruled the Trump administration did not act lawfully when it named a former Virginia attorney general as the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and invalidated some new asylum directives.
FILE PHOTO: Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, speaks to the news media at the White House in Washington, U.S. September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington ruled Ken Cuccinelli’s appointment violated a 1998 law governing how vacancies in senior government positions may be filled until the U.S. Senate confirms a new permanent choice.
Moss said Cuccinelli’s appointment would relieve the president “of responsibility and accountability for selecting acting officials” and could essentially allow the executive brand to fill many senior jobs “with nearly anyone” by simply creating a new position after a