Story perspectives

Judge Blocks DOJ No-Telework Rule for Disabled EOIR Staff

7/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles issued a preliminary injunction on July 10, 2026, halting the Justice Department’s EOIR “no-telework” policy.
Immigration attorney-advisers Kimberly Panian (Type I diabetes, migraines) and Hoi Yee Baxter (Stage IV lung cancer, immunocompromised) sued, claiming the rule violates Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act by refusing telework as a reasonable accommodation.
The suit seeks class-action status for hundreds of EOIR employees similarly denied telework accommodations.

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Story summary

U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles issued a preliminary injunction on July 10, 2026, halting the Justice Department’s EOIR “no-telework” policy.
Immigration attorney-advisers Kimberly Panian (Type I diabetes, migraines) and Hoi Yee Baxter (Stage IV lung cancer, immunocompromised) sued, claiming the rule violates Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act by refusing telework as a reasonable accommodation.
The suit seeks class-action status for hundreds of EOIR employees similarly denied telework accommodations.