The Alien Terrorist Removal Court held its inaugural hearing Thursday morning in Washington, D.C., marking the first use of the specialized tribunal since Congress established it in 1996.

Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen presided over the proceeding involving Nazira Haji Zada, a 47-year-old Afghan national residing in Fort Worth, Texas. The Department of Justice filed the application on July 15 seeking her removal on grounds that she supported her family's involvement in an ISIS-inspired plot to carry out a mass shooting targeting voters on Election Day 2024.

Zada's son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were previously arrested and convicted in connection with the scheme. Authorities arrested Zada earlier this week, and she appeared before the court at 11 a.m.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that Congress created the court three decades ago to remove alien terrorists who never should have been in the United States. He added that the allegations demonstrate the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family aiding in a plot to launch a mass casualty attack on American voters on Election Day, and that terrorists have no place in America.

The ATRC operates as a five-judge Article III court designated by the Chief Justice of the United States. It allows the government to present classified evidence while providing an unclassified summary to the respondent when possible. The court determines by a preponderance of the evidence whether an alien qualifies as a terrorist subject to removal.

Prior to this case, the court had never received an application despite its long existence. The proceedings aim to balance national security needs with due process protections for the individual involved.

The hearing represents an initial test of the court's procedures in a high-stakes national security immigration matter.