Coverage dated July 29, 2026 to July 31, 2026

Dormant deportation court holds hearing

Headline from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, on the newest of 2 developments

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration's activation of a long-dormant court to seek an Afghan woman's deportation violates her constitutional rights, a defense lawyer argued Thursday at a hearing for the first case to be heard in the obscure court since its creation 30 years ago.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.

Developments in this update

2 dated developments, oldest first, newest marked. Each is named by one outlet's own headline; open its reports to see every outlet that covered it.

  1. Secretive terrorist removal court set for first hearing in Afghan woman’s case

    Headline from KION Central Coast ·

  2. Newest

    Dormant deportation court holds hearing

    Headline from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ·

2 reports not tied to one development ·

Reports & sources

51 articles, oldest first.

  1. Just the News

    DOJ seeks to use special court to deport Afghan woman alleged to have ties to terrorists (opens Just the News)

    Published

    Just the News's feed description

    The court was created by Congress in 1996 and signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton, but it has never been used before. Proceedings through the Alien Terrorist Removal Court don't permit suspects to review the classified information against them, and they aren't allowed to legally cha…

  2. Bangor Daily News

    US uses dormant court to seek deportation of Afghan woman accused of aiding terror plot (opens Bangor Daily News)

    Published

    Bangor Daily News's feed description

    WASHINGTON (AP) — An Afghan woman accused of supporting an Islamic State-inspired plot in the U.S. is the first person facing deportation through the Trump administration’s use of an obscure court that remained dormant for 30 years, according to court records filed Wednesday.

  3. KION Central Coast

    Secretive terrorist removal court set for first hearing in Afghan woman’s case (opens KION Central Coast)

    Published

    KION Central Coast's feed description

    By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — The Trump administration is testing a secretive, never-before-used deportation court for alleged alien terrorists with a case concerning the Afghan mother of a convicted terrorist, with the Justice Department accusing the Texas-based woman of having ISIS sympathies.

  4. Newsweek

    The John Roberts-Picked 'Alien Terrorist' Court Explained (opens Newsweek)

    Published

    Newsweek's feed description

    Trump revives dormant ‘alien terrorist’ court as it seeks deportation of Afghan woman accused in ISIS-linked plot.

  5. Tampa Free Press

    DOJ Dusts Off Never-Used Terror Court To Deport Texas Woman In Election Day ISIS Plot (opens Tampa Free Press)

    Published

    Tampa Free Press's feed description

    The Department of Justice has filed its first-ever application in the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court, seeking the deportation of a Fort Worth, Texas, woman accused of helping her family plan an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024.

  6. KIYU 88.1 Galena, AK

    Alien Terrorist Removal Court to hold its first-ever hearing after 30 years (opens KIYU 88.1 Galena, AK)

    Published

    KIYU 88.1 Galena, AK's feed description

    Congress created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court in 1996 to make it easier for the Justice Department to use classified evidence to deport people from U.S. soil. (Image credit: Drew Angerer)

  7. The Hill

    Justice Department brings first case in dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court (opens The Hill)

    Published

    The Hill's feed description

    The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday will bring its first case in a dormant court that allows the speedy removal of noncitizens suspected of terrorism. The DOJ is seeking to remove Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan woman living in Fort Worth, Texas, after her sons were convicted in Oklah…

  8. Washington Times

    Trump mobilizes terrorist court to try to deport Afghan mother tied to Election Day plot (opens Washington Times)

    Published

    Washington Times's feed description

    The Trump administration has brought the first case in the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court, seeking to oust an Afghan woman who prosecutors say supported her son's ISIS-inspired plot to kill people on Election Day in 2024.

  9. Washington Times

    Trump mobilizes terrorist court to try to deport woman tied to Election Day plot (opens Washington Times)

    Published

    Washington Times's feed description

    The Trump administration has brought the first case in the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court, seeking to oust an Afghan woman who prosecutors say supported her son's ISIS-inspired plot to kill people on Election Day in 2024.

  10. FOX 4 Dallas

    Justice Department uses rare 1996 law to deport Fort Worth woman in Election Day terror plot case (opens FOX 4 Dallas)

    Published

    FOX 4 Dallas's feed description

    The Justice Department invoked the Alien Terrorist Removal Court to deport a Fort Worth woman accused of aiding an Election Day ISIS terror plot.

  11. Bangor Daily News

    Long-dormant court holds fits first public hearing as the US seeks to deport an Afghan woman (opens Bangor Daily News)

    Published

    Bangor Daily News's feed description

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s activation of a long-dormant court to seek an Afghan woman’s deportation violates her constitutional rights, a defense lawyer argued Thursday at a hearing for the first case to be heard in the obscure court since its creation 30 years ago.

  12. CBS News

    Afghan woman to fight U.S. efforts to deport her over "alien terrorist" claim (opens CBS News)

    Published

    CBS News's feed description

    Nazira Haji Zada's lawyer argued that the Justice Dept. is violating her due process rights.

  13. CBS News

    Details on first case in Alien Terrorist Removal Court (opens CBS News)

    Published

    CBS News's feed description

    The Department of Justice is seeking to deport the mother of a convicted ISIS supporter through the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, which has never before been used. CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman has the story.

  14. KVIA El Paso

    Woman in first Alien Terrorist Removal Court case mounts constitutional challenge over secrecy (opens KVIA El Paso)

    Published

    KVIA El Paso's feed description

    By Tierney Sneed, Holmes Lybrand, CNN (CNN) — The woman facing the first-ever case in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court is challenging the constitutionality of the deportation tribunal, setting up a major test of the Trump administration’s decision to activate the court, which had never been used in…

  15. Washington Examiner

    Trump administration launches first case before dormant ‘Alien Terrorist’ court (opens Washington Examiner)

    Published

    Washington Examiner's feed description

    The Trump administration is bringing the first-ever case before a little-known national security court created nearly three decades ago, seeking to deport an Afghan woman with a green card who the Justice Department alleges supported an Islamic State-linked terrorist plot involving her son and son-i…

  16. CBS News

    DOJ asking secretive court to remove Afghan woman allegedly tied to terror plot (opens CBS News)

    Published

    CBS News's feed description

    The DOJ is seeking to deport an Afghan woman who prosecutors allege is an "alien terrorist," in the first-ever test case before a secretive court that has never convened since it was created three decades ago.

  17. WFMZ Allentown

    Long-dormant court holds its first public hearing as the US seeks to deport an Afghan woman (opens WFMZ Allentown)

    Published

    WFMZ Allentown's feed description

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration's activation of a long-dormant court to seek an Afghan woman's deportation violates her constitutional rights, a defense lawyer argued Thursday at a hearing for the first case to be heard in the obscure court…

  18. NBC News

    DOJ holds first-ever hearing of ‘Alien Terrorist Removal Court,’ created in 1996 (opens NBC News)

    Published

    NBC News's feed description

    DOJ holds first-ever hearing of ‘Alien Terrorist Removal Court,’ created in 1996

  19. The Daily Caller

    DOJ Seeks To Deport Afghan Alien In First Alien Terrorist Removal Court Case, Citing Alleged Election-Day Plot (opens The Daily Caller)

    Published

    The Daily Caller's feed description

    ‘The matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family aiding in a plot’

  20. Townhall

  21. The National Pulse

    Trump Activates Dormant ‘Alien Terrorist Removal Court’ to Deport ISIS Supporter. (opens The National Pulse)

    Published

    The National Pulse's feed description

    The Trump administration has activated the Alien Terrorist Removal Court for the first time.

  22. The Daily Signal

    First Use of Alien Terrorist Removal Court Targets Woman Accused in Family’s ISIS Election Day Plot (opens The Daily Signal)

    Published

    The Daily Signal's feed description

    An Afghan woman living in Texas, whose son and son-in-law were convicted of plotting an Election Day mass killing in 2024, had a public removal hearing Thursday, the first case before the Alien Terrorist Removal Court.

  23. ABC News

    Obscure court hears first-ever case in attempt to deport permanent US resident (opens ABC News)

    Published

    ABC News's feed description

    Obscure removal court hears first-ever case

  24. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    Dormant deportation court holds hearing (opens Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

    Published

    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's feed description

    WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration's activation of a long-dormant court to seek an Afghan woman's deportation violates her constitutional rights, a defense lawyer argued Thursday at a hearing for the first case to be heard in the obscure court since its creation 30 years ago.

  25. West Hawaii Today

    Secretive US court meant to deport alleged terrorists hears first case (opens West Hawaii Today)

    Published

    West Hawaii Today's feed description

    WASHINGTON — A secretive U.S. court created 30 years ago to deport suspected terrorists convened for the first time on Thursday, opening a new front in the Trump administration’s effort to remove non-citizens accused of national security threats and expand the president’s immigration agenda.

Identical headlines usually mean shared wire copy. They are counted as separate articles but are not independent confirmation.

Separate coverage close to this update in time and subject.

Dormant deportation court holds hearing | Since Then