Who is Erez Reuveni? DOJ official put on leave after failing to defend deportation case

Erez Reuveni , a senior Justice Department lawyer, has been placed on paid administrative leave after a high-profile courtroom appearance where he failed to defend the government’s position in the controversial deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia , a Maryland man wrongly sent to El Salvador.

As reported by ABC News, the DOJ cited a “failure to zealously advocate” for government interests as the reason for his suspension. Reuveni appeared frustrated and unable to provide legal justification during Friday’s hearing, where Judge Paula Xinis ruled that the deportation was unlawful and ordered Abrego Garcia’s return.

According to Politico, Reuveni told the court that he had urged his DOJ superiors to bring Abrego Garcia back and admitted he couldn’t explain why he was detained or labelled as an MS-13 member.

The DOJ later removed his name from official filings in the case. Attorney general Pam Bondi publicly criticised Reuveni, saying DOJ attorneys must “zealously advocate on behalf of the United States.” His supervisor, August Flentje, was also placed on leave for failing to oversee Reuveni's conduct.

Who is Erez Reuveni?

• Erez Reuveni is an attorney with nearly 15 years at the US department of justice, where he most recently served as assistant director and briefly as acting deputy director of the office of immigration litigation .
  
• Reuveni has held multiple roles within the DOJ civil vivision, including senior counsel and trial attorney, handling some of the most sensitive immigration and constitutional law cases under various administrations.
  
• He began his legal career with prestigious clerkships under Judge Jon O Newman on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and Chief Judge Mark Wolf in the District of Massachusetts.
  
• Reuveni also worked as a litigation associate at Morrison & Foerster and was a fellow at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society.
  
• Reuveni holds a JD, summa cum laude, from Boston University School of Law, where he was a finalist in moot court and served as Articles Editor for the Law Review.
  
• He earned his BA, magna cum laude, from Brandeis University in Politics, Economics, and Near Eastern Studies.