The U.S. Justice Department is using the Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC) for the first time in its history. Created by Congress in 1996 and signed into law under President Bill Clinton, the court had remained inactive for roughly three decades because it had never received a government petition. Multiple outlets report that the department filed its first-ever request in connection with the proposed removal of a person described as an “alien terrorist,” citing a rarely used statutory framework that is intended to streamline deportation decisions using classified evidence. The ATRC is described as secretive and largely dormant, with some details of the specific case withheld, including the individual’s name. NPR and NBC report that the court is scheduled to hold its first hearing after the initial filing, marking the first time the mechanism is exercised since its creation. The filings and proceedings are presented as part of the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, while reporters note the legal novelty of testing the court’s limits for the first time.