The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a 13-page defense of the decision to temporarily reassign Defense Department lawyers to immigration tasks, saying that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may do so since the lawyers will work "on a full-time basis, in an entirely civilian capacity, under the supervision of civilian DOJ supervisors."

"Under our longstanding view, those conditions are sufficient to comply with the PCA’s terms," Thomas Elliot Gaiser, assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Council, wrote, referring to the Posse Comitatus Act, which some critics have said would block the move.

Why It Matters

The DOJ oversees the immigration court system, where judges determine whether immigrants are eligible to remain in the United States or not.

In August, Hegseth aut

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