A Clinton-appointed federal judge in Florida has died just days after he controversially released a Cuban plane hijacker who was awaiting deportation. Judge John E. Steele, 77, passed away, according to a law clerk for Chief Judge Marcia Morales Howard of the Middle District of Florida — where Steele served. Clinton-appointed federal judge John E. Steele in Florida has died just days after he controversially released a Cuban plane hijacker who was awaiting deportation. He was 77. The News-Press [snip] Guerra Morales took over a Cuban commuter plane in 2003 and forced the crew to land at Key West International Airport. He spent more than 20 years in prison for aircraft piracy and conspiracy to interfere with a flight crew. ICE took him into custody in December 2025 and intended to deport him to Mexico, but after more than six months in detention, Steele ordered him released under supervision again, meaning agents must try to monitor him before they can deport him. [snip] In his decision on Guerra Morales last week, the judge cited a landmark Supreme Court ruling regarding the detention of foreign nationals whose removal cannot be carried out. The ruling claimed that ICE had not been able to deport Guerra Morales to Cuba because of an anti-torture convention and had provided no evidence that it had communicated with Mexico about sending him there. [snip] “The Government cannot lock individuals in a cell indefinitely as a workaround for a stalled deportation process,” the order added. (*) Full article: https://nypost.com/2026/07/16/us-news/judge-who-freed-cuban-plane-hijacker-dies-suddenly-days-after-controversial-ruling/ Post navigation ‘She’s gonna kill someone’: Entitled lawmaker clocked at 107 mph and 92 mph claims she’s immune from speeding laws * WorldNetDaily * by Joe Kovacs
