Judge Brad Garcia
D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
Bradley Nelson Garcia was born in 1986 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He earned an undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University. He earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard University. He clerked for a judge at the District of Columbia U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and later for Justice Elena Kagan of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Garcia worked for a private law firm, arguing cases before federal courts, including the Supreme Court. He left private practice to become a deputy assistant attorney for the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.
Garcia was nominated by President Joe Biden in June 2022 to serve as a judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. His nomination was returned in January 2023, and President Biden renominated him. Garcia was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission in May 2023.
In the News…
Judge Brad Garcia joined Judge Florence Pan in upholding a lower court’s injunction against the Department of Homeland Security deporting Haitians as the lawsuit against the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for natives of that country proceeds. President Trump’s administration had requested a stay while the lawsuit plays out.
“TPS is a form of humanitarian immigration protection that shields eligible nationals of designated countries from removal and authorizes them to work in the United States,“ the judges wrote. “The Secretary of Homeland Security may ‘designate‘ a country for TPS if she finds that ‘extraordinary and temporary conditions‘ in that country ‘prevent‘ its nationals from returning ‘in safety,‘ unless she determines that allowing them to remain temporarily in the United States is ‘contrary to the national interest.‘“
The judges contrasted the Supreme Court allowing the removal of TPS for Venezuelans due to diplomatic negotiations, stating that there were “no such diplomatic concerns“ in the Haitians’ case.
Their decision stated, “The government’s failure to meet its burden of demonstrating irreparable harm alone justifies denying emergency relief that would upend the status quo and increase uncertainty while this appeal proceeds.“
“The plaintiffs face substantial and well-documented harms,“ the appellate judges continued. “As the district court detailed at length, the termination of TPS would have ‘devastating‘ consequences for the plaintiffs, including risk of detention and deportation, separation from family members, and loss of work authorization. … Moreover, plaintiffs removed to Haiti would be vulnerable to violence amid a ‘collapsing rule of law‘ and lack access to life-sustaining medical care.“
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Garcia today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Brad Garcia
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse
333 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20001
