EOIR announces appointment of 24 new immigration judges

Biden admin announces 24 new immigration judges

EOIR announced the appointment of 24 new immigration judges. This includes four Assistant Chief Immigration Judges and two Unit Chief Immigration Judges. The memo provides a biography for each judge.
They will join the newest BIA member, Appellate Immigration Judge Andrea Saenz. The qualifications for a career as an immigration judge include a law degree, active membership in the bar, a license to practice as a lawyer, and at least seven years of experience as a practicing attorney. All told, an aspiring immigration lawyer needs a total of seven years of full-time study after high school to obtain a Juris Doctor degree. He will also need a few more months to pass the bar exam. Additionally, he must meet local bar association requirements.

Appointment of 24 New Immigration Judges — what it means for cases, backlogs, and practitioners

The recent appointment of 24 new immigration judges strengthens capacity at the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and can help reduce case backlogs, speed hearing calendars, and improve access to timely decisions in removal and relief proceedings. While judicial appointments don’t instantly clear all delays, they shift the operational dynamics — more judges usually mean more hearings scheduled, faster placement of merits and bond dockets, and reduced wait times for detained and non-detained respondents. Therefore, counsel and clients should update calendars and prepare to take advantage of earlier hearing slots where possible.

Where the impact will be felt

• Detained dockets: extra judges often allow more detained dockets and custody reviews, increasing chances for timely bond hearings.
• Merits calendars: more judges enable additional merits hearing dates and help move long-pending cases toward resolution.
• Regional distribution: EOIR will assign judges where caseloads are heaviest; local effects depend on regional need and judge placements.

Practical steps for attorneys & clients

1. Check your case status frequently — new judges can prompt calendar changes; verify hearing dates in EOIR’s case-access system.
2. Prioritize readiness — if a hearing is rescheduled earlier, have your exhibit packets, witness declarations, and expert reports ready to file and serve.
3. Request custody review or hearing acceleration if detention and docketing changes create openings; courts sometimes grant earlier hearings when new judges become available.
4. Track judge assignments — knowing the new judge’s published preferences (e.g., evidentiary practice, scheduling) helps tailor pre-hearing filings.

Tactical tips to convert capacity into wins

• Maintain an “exhibit-ready” master file (tabbed, indexed PDFs) so you can turn around filings quickly when a hearing is moved up.
• Be ready to file targeted motions (bond, continuance, motions to exclude) that may be calendared sooner.
• Use the moment to press for merits hearings where delay has been the primary hurdle to relief.

How we help

We monitor regional judge assignments, update calendars, prepare fast-turn hearing notebooks, assemble exhibit indexes and declarations, file custody/bond motions, and represent clients at accelerated hearings. Request a Hearing-Readiness Checklist or a one-page client alert and we’ll deliver it ready-to-paste.