Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York City.

In President Donald J. Trump’s vision of American justice, there are two kinds of judges: “smart” ones who allow him and his administration to do whatever they want, and “radical activist” ones who uphold the law and thwart his illegal actions.

But Mr. Trump is going far beyond political rhetoric in the realm of immigration courts. He is openly trying to turn judges into rubber stamps for his anti-immigrant agenda.

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Mr. Trump’s manipulation of the system began earlier this year when he fired more than 100 permanent immigration judges who apparently were ruling too often in favor of people the government wanted to deport. It appears these jurists were basing their decisions on radical stuff like due process — a big obstacle for a president who is trying to kick millions of people out of the country, including people who entered illegally as well as asylum seekers and refugees who had been granted entry in the past.

Facing a backlog of 3.8........

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