A federal judge's ruling last month to block President Barack Obama's immigration executive action lays bare a pervasive practice in federal district courts: venue shopping.
Immigration advocates say that lawyers for the state of Texas were seeking a court with sympathetic judges when they filed their case in Brownsville. They found one in U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, who on Feb. 16 halted Obama's immigration action. The Texas lawyers played the 50-50 odds and won with Hanen, who is one of only two judges hearing civil cases in that district.
Legal experts say that venue shopping is commonplace. It is used by attorneys filing cases across the political spectrum, and statistical evidence has been found in cases such as civil rights and personal injury.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.