What Is It Mandamus
It is a writ or an order, issued by courts only in extreme necessity, to a public official or corporation, commanding the performance of some public duty required by statute.
Mandamus can be relatively quick remedy in situations where the government has failed to act when it has a duty to do so. In recent years, thousands of non citizens have filed mandamus suites against USCIS in federal district court, seeking to enforce the agency to decide on long delayed applications for immigration benefits.