,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ffc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #e1 #bjai,ms4 ,hirono 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,ms4 ,smith1 and ,mr4 ,booker7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to clarify the status and enhance the effectiveness of immigration courts1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,immigration ,court ,improvement ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,finding2 sense of ,congress 7a7 ,finding ,congress finds that the ,united ,states tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants is best served by effective1 fair1 and impartial immigration judges who have decisional independence and are free from political influence4 7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 immigration judges-- 7,a7 should be fair and impartial2 and 7,b7 should have decisional independence that is free from political pressure or influence2 and 7#b7 in order to promote even-handed1 non-biased1 decision-making that is representative of the public at large1 immigration judges should be selected from a broad pool of candidates with a variety of legal experience1 such as law professors1 private practitioners1 representatives of pro bono service and other nongovernmental organizations1 military officers1 and government employees4 #c4 ,professional treatment of immigration judges 7a7 ,defined term ,section #aja7;b77#d7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;b77#d77 is amended to read as follows3 7#d7 7,a7 ,the term immigration judge means an attorney who-- 7i7 has been appointed by the ,attorney ,general to serve as a ,united ,states immigration judge2 and 7ii7 is qualified to conduct proceedings under this ,act1 including removal proceedings under section #bdj4 7,b7 ,an immigration judge shall be subject to such supervision and shall perform such duties as the ,attorney ,general shall prescribe as long as such supervision does not interfere with the immigration judge's exercise of independent decision-making authority over cases in which he or she presides4 7,c7 ,an immigration judge shall be an attorney at the time of his or her appointment by the ,attorney ,general and shall maintain good standing or appropriate judicial status 7as defined solely by the licensing jurisdiction7 with the bar of the highest court of any ,state4 7,d7 ,the service of an immigration judge is deemed to be judicial in nature4 ,actions taken by an immigration judge while serving in a judicial capacity shall be reviewed under the applicable ,code of ,judicial ,conduct4 ,immigration judges shall not be subject to any code of attorney behavior for conduct or actions taken while performing duties as an immigration judge4 7,e7 ,an immigration judge may not be disciplined for any good faith legal decisions made in the course of hearing and deciding cases4 ,criticism of an immigration judge1 in a decision of any appellate court may not be considered or construed as a finding of misconduct4 4 7b7 ,performance appraisals ,any system of completion goals or other efficiency standards imposed on immigration judges 7as defined in section #aja7;b77#d7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act7-- 7#a7 may be used solely as management tools for obtaining or allocating resources2 and 7#b7 may not be used-- 7,a7 to limit the independent authority of immigration judges to fulfill their duties2 or 7,b7 as a reflection of individual judicial performance4 7c7 ,judicial complaint process ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,attorney ,general shall establish a transparent judicial complaint process that is consistent with-- 7#a7 the ,guidelines for the ,evaluation of ,judicial ,performance developed by the ,american ,bar ,association2 and 7#b7 the judicial performance evaluation principles developed by the ,institute for the ,advancement of the ,american ,legal ,system4 7d7 ,annual leave ,every immigration judge shall be presumed to have #ae years of ,federal civilian service for the purpose of the accrual of annual leave4 7e7 ,continuing legal education 7#a7 ,in general ,in addition to the training required under section #fjc7;c7 of the ,international ,religious ,freedom ,act of #aiih 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #fdgc7;c771 the ,attorney ,general shall provide immigration judges with-- 7,a7 meaningful1 ongoing training1 including annual1 in-person training1 to maintain current knowledge of immigration cases1 changes in the law and effective docketing practices2 and 7,b7 time away from the bench to assimilate the knowledge gained through such training4 7#b7 ,service to the legal profession ,because of the ethical duty owed by immigration judges to participate in continuing legal education1 including teaching of law at institutions of higher learning and other activities to educate the public and to improve the legal profession1 the ,attorney ,general may not prevent or interfere with the participation of an immigration judge in any such bona fide activities if-- 7,a7 undertaken in conjunction with an established university1 law school1 bar association1 or legal organization2 and 7,b7 the immigration judge clearly indicates that such participation is in his or her personal capacity and does not reflect any official positions or policies4 7f7 ,contempt authority 7#a7 ,rulemaking 7,a7 ,interim regulations ,not later than #fj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,attorney ,general shall promulgate interim regulations governing the exercise of the authority given to immigration judges under section #bdj7;b77#a7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abbi;a7b77#a77 to sanction contempt of an immigration judge's exercise of authority under such ,act4 7,b7 ,final regulations ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,attorney ,general shall promulgate final regulations governing the authority described in subparagraph 7,a74 7#b7 ,effect of failure to promulgate regulations ,if the ,attorney ,general fails to comply with subparagraph 7#a77;,b71 immigration judges shall-- 7,a7 make appropriate findings of contempt2 and 7,b7 submit such findings to the ,united ,states ,district ,court for the judicial district in which the immigration judge is physically located4