Kim McLane Wardlaw

Rule Changes

Sat on the three-judge panel

The Ninth Circuit kept its block on Homeland Security's pre-election voter questioning in place through Election Day, and the legal fight is continuing. A majority of the full court declined to rehear a three-judge panel's refusal to pause the injunction; seven judges dissented. The blocked program, which the government calls the Unlawful Voter Initiative, had sent agents to homes in nine states.

Updated 5 days ago

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Authored majority opinion in January 2026 ruling

Venezuela received Temporary Protected Status in 2021, shielding hundreds of thousands from deportation. In January 2025, newly appointed Secretary Kristi Noem moved to terminate it—an action federal courts have blocked as exceeding her authority.

Updated May 26