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Office of the Chief Immigration Judge

The Office of the Chief Immigration Judge (OCIJ) is led by the Chief Immigration Judge, who establishes operating policies and oversees policy implementation for the immigration courts. OCIJ provides overall program direction and establishes priorities for approximately 700 immigration judges located 71 immigration courts and three adjudications centers throughout the Nation.


OCIJ Leadership

Sheila McNulty was appointed as Chief Immigration Judge in April 2023. Chief Immigration Judge McNulty received a Bachelor of Arts in 1984 from Miami University of Ohio and a Juris Doctor in 1991 from New England School of Law. From March 2021 to April 2023, she served as a Regional Deputy Chief Immigration Judge after serving as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge (ACIJ) from November 2015 to March 2021. While an ACIJ, from February 2020 to March 2021, she also served as Acting Deputy Chief Immigration Judge for the West. From October 2010 to November of 2015, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Chicago Immigration Court. From 2000 to 2010, Judge McNulty served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in the Chicago Office of the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. From 1991 to 2000, she served as a trial attorney for the former INS, entering on duty through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. From 1985 until 1988, Judge McNulty worked as a community activist and organizer in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Judge McNulty is a member of the Illinois Bar.

Daniel H. Weiss was appointed as Principal Deputy Chief Immigration Judge in January 2021. Judge Weiss earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1986 from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor in 1990 from the University of Maryland School of Law. From 2017 to 2021, Judge Weiss served as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge, based in Dallas. From 2016 to 2017, he served as an Immigration Judge at the Dallas Immigration Court. From 2010 to 2016, he served as a senior attorney in the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, Civil Rights Division (CRT), Department of Justice (DOJ). From 2000 to 2010, he served as a trial attorney, then deputy chief, in the Special Litigation Section, CRT, DOJ. From 1992 to 2000, he served as an assistant public defender for both the Appellate Division and Trial Division, Office of the Public Defender, State of Maryland. From 1991 to 1992, he served as an attorney for the Fidelity and Deposit Companies of Maryland, in Baltimore. From 1990 to 1991, he served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Ellen. L. Hollander, Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Judge Weiss is a member of the Maryland State Bar.

Elizabeth L. Young was appointed as a Regional Deputy Chief Immigration Judge in January 2024. Judge Young earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from Hendrix College and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from The George Washington University School of Law. From August 2021 to January 2024, she served as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge, and from 2016 to July 2021, as an Immigration Judge, at the San Francisco Immigration Court. From 2011 to 2016, she was as an Associate Professor of Law, and previously from 2008 to 2011, as an Assistant Professor of Law, for the University of Arkansas School of Law. From 2007 to 2008, she was as a Visiting Professor at The George Washington University School of Law. From 2004 to 2007, she served as an Attorney Advisor at the San Francisco Immigration Court. Judge Young is a member of the Arkansas Bar, State Bar of California, and Virginia State Bar.

Assistant Chief Immigration Judges

E. Mark Barcus was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2020. Judge Barcus earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1984 from Austin College and a Juris Doctor in 1988 from the University of Texas School of Law. From 2017 to 2020, he served as an Immigration Judge at the Dallas and Imperial immigration courts. From 2016 to 2017, he served as interim executive director of Iron Gate in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From 2015 to 2016, he was a conflict consultant for Concord Consultants Inc. From 2012 to 2015, he was a district judge for the Tulsa County District Court. From 2003 to 2012, he was a special judge for the State of Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Court. From 2000 to 2003, he served as the first family court referee for Tulsa County. Judge Barcus is a member of the Oklahoma State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Jefferson B. Brown was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2020. Judge Brown earned a Bachelor of Science in 1990 from Florida State University, a Juris Doctor in 1993 from Vanderbilt Law School, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science in 2006 from Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. In 2020, he retired as a colonel from the U.S. Air Force. From 1994 to 2020, he served as a chief circuit trial judge, deputy circuit trial judge, appellate judge, trial judge, staff judge advocate, deputy staff judge advocate, appellate defense counsel, trial defense counsel, and prosecutor in the following locations: Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas; Joint Base Andrews, Maryland; Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Georgia; Royal Air Force, Lakenheath, England; Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea; Incirlik Air Base, Turkey; Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq; Luke Air Force Base, Glendale, Arizona; Bolling Air Force Base, District of Columbia; Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mississippi; and Reese Air Force Base, Lubbock, Texas. Judge Brown is a member of the Alabama State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

David Cheng was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in April 2020. Judge Cheng earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1992 from the State University of New York at Albany and a Juris Doctor in 1997 from St. John’s University School of Law. From 2017 to 2020, he served as an Immigration Judge at the Newark Immigration Court. From 2007 to 2017, he served as a senior attorney, Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Newark, New Jersey. From 2002 to 2007, he served as an assistant chief counsel, OCC, ICE, DHS, in Newark. From 2000 to 2002, he served as an administrative law judge for the New York City Department of Finance. From 1997 to 2000, he was a general partner at Cheng and Cheng, PC, in New York, New York. Judge Cheng is a member of the New York State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Jamee E. Comans was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in January 2023. Judge Comans earned a Bachelor of Science in 2005 from St. Leo University and a Juris Doctorate in 2008 from Mississippi College School of Law. From 2021 to 2022, she served as an Immigration Judge at the LaSalle Immigration Court. From 2018 to 2021, she served as Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Jena and Oakdale, Louisiana. From 2012 to 2018, she served as an Assistant Chief Counsel, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in Memphis. From 2009 to 2012, she was an Associate Attorney with the Law Offices of Matt Greenbaum LLP in New Orleans. From 2001 to 2022, she served in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Judge Comans is a member of the Mississippi Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Grady A. Crooks was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in August 2019. Judge Crooks earned a Bachelor of Science in 1996 from North Dakota State University, a Master of Arts in 1999 from The George Washington University, and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from the Rutgers University School of Law. From October 2018 to August 2019, he served as an Immigration Judge at the LaSalle Immigration Court. In 2017, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana in Shreveport, Louisiana. From 2005 to 2016, he was an attorney for the U.S. Air Force in the following locations: Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana; Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; Hurlburt Field, Florida; International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, Afghanistan; Baghdad, Iraq; Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida; and Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Judge Crooks is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Claudia R. Cubas was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in March 2024. Judge Cubas earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2005 from the University of St. Thomas, in Houston, Texas  and a Juris Doctor in 2008 from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. From 2022 to 2024, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Hyattsville Immigration Court. From 2018 to 2022, she was the Litigation Director at the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition in the District of Columbia. She held the following roles at the CAIR Coalition: from 2016 to 2018, Senior Program Director; from 2014 to 2016, Program Director; from 2013 to 2014, Supervising Attorney for the Legal Orientation Program; and from 2011 to 2012, Staff Attorney. From 2009 to 2011, she was an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow at the Central American Resource Center, in the District of Columbia. From 2008 to 2009, she was an Attorney in private practice. Judge Cubas is a member of the Maryland State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Jaime Diaz was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2021. Judge Diaz earned a Bachelor of Science in 1989 from the University of Texas at El Paso, Master of Education in 1992 and 1999 from Sul Ross State University, and a Juris Doctor in 2003 from the University of Iowa College of Law. From 2016 to 2021, he served as a Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in El Paso, Texas. From 2008 to 2016, he served as an Assistant Chief Counsel, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in El Paso. From 2006 to 2008, he served as an attorney, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS, in El Paso. From 2003 to 2006, he was an Associate Attorney with Kemp Smith, and with Delgado, Acosta, Braden & Jones, in El Paso. Judge Diaz is a member of the State Bar of New Mexico, and State Bar of Texas.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Eric L. Dillow was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in March 2019. Judge Dillow earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1986 from the University of Illinois, a Juris Doctor in 1990 from the University of Nebraska College of Law, and a Master of Urban Planning in 1992 from the University of Illinois. From 2012 to 2018, he served as a veteran advocate and veteran’s treatment court mentor trainer for the Douglas County Veterans Treatment Court, Omaha, Nebraska, and the Lancaster County Veterans Treatment Court, Lincoln, Nebraska. In 2012, he retired as a colonel and judge advocate from the U.S. Air Force. From 1990 to 2012, he served as a judge advocate for the U.S. Air Force in the following locations: Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota; Travis Air Force Base, California; Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait; HQ, AIRSOUTH, Naples, Italy; Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington; Yokota Air Base, Japan; Task Force 134, Baghdad, Iraq; Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.; Kabul, Afghanistan; and Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Judge Dillow is a member of the Nebraska State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Irene C. Feldman was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in November 2015. Judge Feldman received a Bachelor of Arts in 1983 from Mount Holyoke College, a Juris Doctor in 1988 from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and a Master of Science in 1995 from Boston University, Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. From 2008 to 2015, Judge Feldman served as an Immigration Judge at the Eloy Immigration Court. From 2001 to 2008, Judge Feldman served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Arizona and in Puerto Rico. From 1996 to 2001, Judge Feldman worked as an assistant district counsel, Office of the District Counsel, for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, in New Jersey and New York. From 1989 to 1994, Judge Feldman served as an assistant prosecutor in the Office of the County Prosecutor, Bergen County, New Jersey. Judge Feldman is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, and the New Jersey State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Melissa Joy Garcia was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2020. Judge Garcia earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Juris Doctorate in 2001 from St. Mary’s University School of Law. From 2018 to 2020, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Harlingen Immigration Court. From 2015 to 2018, she served as an associate district court judge in Laredo, Webb County, Texas. In 2014, she was appointed to serve as justice of the peace, Precinct 2, Place 2, for Webb County, Texas. From 2008 to 2014, she served as an assistant public defender in Webb County. In 2008, she served as an assistant city attorney for Laredo, Texas. From 2004 to 2008, she was in private practice. From 2001 to 2004, she served as a federal public defender for the Laredo Division, Southern District of Texas. Judge Garcia is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Renae M. Hansell was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in April 2020. Judge Hansell earned a Bachelor of Science in 2000 from Armstrong Atlantic State University and a Juris Doctor in 2003 from Georgia State University College of Law. From 2018 to 2020, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Memphis Immigration Court. From 2003 to 2018, she served as a law clerk, senior attorney, assistant chief counsel, and deputy chief counsel with the Office of the Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Atlanta and Memphis, Tennessee. Judge Hansell is a member of the State Bar of Georgia.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Megan B. Herndon was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in April 2021. Judge Herndon earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from Occidental College and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from the University of San Diego School of Law. From 2020 to 2021, she served as Senior Regulatory Coordinator, Office of Visa Services, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of State (DOS), in the District of Columbia. From 2018 to 2020, she served as Deputy Director of Legal Affairs, Office of Visa Services, Bureau of Consular Affairs, DOS. From 2015 to 2018, she served as Chief of the Legislation and Regulations Division, Office of Visa Services, Bureau of Consular Affairs, DOS. From 2013 to 2015, she served as a Section Chief, Immigration Law and Practice Division, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in the District of Columbia and Falls Church, Virginia. From 2009 to 2013, she served as an Appellate Counsel, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in Falls Church. From 2007 to 2009, she served as an Assistant Chief Counsel, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in San Diego. From 2003 to 2007, she served as an assistant chief counsel, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in Los Angeles. From 2002 to 2003, she served as an assistant district counsel, Immigration and Naturalization Service, DOJ, in Los Angeles, entering on duty through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. Judge Herndon is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, and State Bar of California.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Jonathan W. Hitesman was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in June 2020. Judge Hitesman earned a Bachelor of Science in 1990 from Norwich University, a Juris Doctor in 1997 from the University of Hawaii, and a Master of Laws in 2004 from the Georgetown University Law Center. From 1990 to 2020, he served on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps, first as an infantry officer and later as a judge advocate. In 2020, he retired as a senior appellate military judge with the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. Judge Hitesman is a member of the Hawaii State Bar, and the Minnesota State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Theresa Holmes-Simmons was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in August 2019. Judge Holmes-Simmons received a Bachelor of Arts in 1985 from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, and a Juris Doctorate in 1988 from Rutgers University School of Law. From October 2008 to August 2019, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Charlotte Immigration Court. From 1998 to October 2008, Judge Holmes-Simmons served as an Immigration Judge at the New York City Immigration Court. From 1996 to 1998, she served as an assistant district counsel for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), in New York. From 1994 to 1996, Judge Holmes-Simmons worked as a special prosecutor and assistant attorney general, New York State Attorney General’s Office. From 1988 to 1994, she served as an assistant district attorney with the New York County District Attorney’s Office. Judge Holmes-Simons is a member of the New Jersey State Bar, and New York State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Rhana Ishimoto was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge to begin supervisory immigration court duties and hearing cases in May 2023. Judge Ishimoto earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from Brown University and a Juris Doctor in 2005 from Boston College Law School. From 2018 to 2023, she served as a deputy chief counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Otay Mesa, California. From 2009 to 2018, she served as an assistant chief counsel, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in San Diego. From 2005 to 2008, she served as an assistant corporation counsel with the Office of the Corporation Counsel in the Family Court Division, New York City Law Department. Judge Ishimoto is a member of the New York State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Megan R. Jackler was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in July 2021. Judge Jackler earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2003 from Barnard College and a Juris Doctor in 2008 from the American University Washington College of Law. From 2009 to 2021, she served as a U.S. Navy Judge Advocate, in the following locations: Norfolk, Virginia; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Gulfport, Mississippi; Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan; and Yokosuka, Japan. From 2003 to 2005, she was a Litigation Paralegal with Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, in New York. Judge Jackler is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, New Jersey State Bar, New York State Bar, and Virginia State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Brandon C. Jaroch was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2021. Judge Jaroch earned a Bachelor of Science in 1998 from Virginia Tech and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from Vermont Law School. From 2019 to 2021, he served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Nevada. From 2015 to 2019, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada. From 2009 to 2015, he served as Assistant Chief Counsel (ACC), Office of the Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in the Las Vegas and Dallas offices. While an ACC, he served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada and the Northern District of Texas. From 2003 to 2009, he was a Judge Advocate General with the U.S. Air Force and served as a Senior Trial Counsel, Area Defense Counsel, and Trial Counsel at the following locations: Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; and Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. Judge Jaroch is a member of the New Jersey State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Matthew W. Kaufman was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in February 2019. Judge Kaufman received a Bachelor of Arts in 1998 from the University of Arizona and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from Arizona State University College of Law. From June 2018 to February 2019, he was an Immigration Judge at the Denver Immigration Court. From May 2015 to June of 2018, he was an Immigration Judge at the Memphis Immigration Court. From September 2006 to May 2015, Judge Kaufman served as Assistant Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Tucson, Arizona. From August 2009 to May of 2015, he was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Senior Attorney. From September 2006 to August of 2009, he was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Chief Counsel. From 2004 to 2006, he served as an attorney, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS. From 2003 to 2004, Judge Kaufman served as assistant attorney general for the Washington State Office of the Attorney General in Yakima. From 2002 to 2003, he worked as an attorney for Cetrus Consulting Group, in Seattle. Judge Kaufman is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, State Bar of California, and the Washington State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Wynne P. Kelly was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in January 2023. Judge Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor in 2005 from the Fordham University School of Law. From 2019 to 2022, he served as an Immigration Judge at the Arlington Immigration Court, which relocated to Annandale in October 2022. From 2008 to 2019, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. From 2007 to 2008, he was an associate attorney with Hunton & Williams LLP in Miami. From 2006 to 2007, he was a judicial clerk for the Honorable K. Michael Moore, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, in Miami. From 2005 to 2006, he was an associate attorney with Kelley Drye & Warren LLP in New York. Judge Kelly is a member of the Florida Bar, the New Jersey State Bar, and the New York State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Amiena Khan was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2023. Judge Khan earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1983 from New York University Washington Square College of Arts and Science and a Juris Doctorate in 1987 from the New York Law School. From October 2015 to October 2023, she served as an Immigration Judge at the New York – Federal Plaza Immigration Court, and from December 2010 to October 2015, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Newark Immigration Court. From 1992 to December 2010, she was in private practice in New York, specializing in immigration law. From 1987 to 1992, she practiced in New York with a focus in civil litigation. From 2021 to 2023, Judge Khan served as an adjunct professor of Immigration Law at New York Law School. Judge Khan is a member of the New York State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Daniel P. Kinnicutt was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in April 2020. Judge Kinnicutt earned a Bachelor of Science in 1989 from Pepperdine University and a Juris Doctor in 1994 from Seattle University School of Law. From 2018 to 2020, he served as an Immigration Judge at the Louisville Immigration Court. From 2005 to 2018, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, Department of Justice (DOJ), in Louisville, Kentucky. From 2003 to 2005, he served as the chief assistant U.S. attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, DOJ, in Del Rio, Texas. In 2003, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, DOJ, in Tucson, Arizona. From 1999 to 2003, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, DOJ, in Del Rio. From 1994 to 1999, he served as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, in Tacoma, Washington. Judge Kinnicutt is a member of the Washington State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Charles P. Koutras was appointed Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2020. Judge Koutras earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 from Southwestern University and a Juris Doctor and a Master of Arts in 1997 from St. Mary’s University. From 2006 to 2020, he served as an attorney for U.S. Army South at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. As a Judge Advocate in the Navy Reserve, he currently serves as the Commanding Officer of Navy Reserve Region Legal Service Office Pacific, headquartered in Yokosuka, Japan. From 1997 to present, he has served in the following locations: Navy Region Southwest, San Diego, California; Navy Reserve Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia; U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Naval Station Bremerton, Washington; Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida; U.S. Southern Command, Miami; Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy; Naval Support Activity La Maddalena, Italy; and Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. From 2002 to 2004, he served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of San Antonio. Judge Koutras is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Joy Lampley-Fortson was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in March 2019. Judge Lampley-Fortson earned a Bachelor of Science in 1992 from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor in 1996 from the University of Florida College of Law. From 2017 to 2019, she served as the executive director of the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity by appointment of the governor. From 2007 to 2017, she served as a trial attorney/assistant chief counsel with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Atlanta. From 2001 to 2007, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Department of Justice. From 1997 to 2001, she served as an assistant solicitor with the Office of the City Solicitor in Atlanta. Judge Lampley-Fortson is a member of the State Bar of Georgia.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Daren K. Margolin was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in June 2020. Judge Margolin earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1986 from the University of California, Irvine, a Juris Doctor in 1990 from New York Law School, and a Masters of Political Science/National Security Studies in 2010 from the Israeli National Defense College and Haifa University. From 1989 to 2016, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a defense attorney, prosecutor, appellate prosecutor, and military trial judge. He also served as the staff judge advocate (general counsel) for various Marine commands, including the 3d Marine Aircraft Wing, 3d Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Division, and I Marine Expeditionary Force. From August 2017 to June 2020, he served as an assistant chief counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Adelanto, California. Judge Margolin is a member of the Hawaii State Bar, New Jersey State Bar, and New York State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Jeffrey S. Miller was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in April 2020. Judge Miller earned a Bachelor of Science in 1996 from Berry College and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from Florida Coastal School of Law. From 2018 to 2020, he served as an Immigration Judge at the Los Angeles Immigration Court. From 2010 to 2018, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas in Corpus Christi, Texas. From 2008 to 2010, as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Judge Advocate General Corps, he served as a special assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa, Florida. From 2006 to 2008, he served as an assistant state attorney in Jacksonville, Florida. Since 2005 he has served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. Judge Miller is a member of the Florida State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Tara Naselow-Nahas was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in August 2021. Judge Naselow-Nahas earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1989 from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Juris Doctorate in 1992 from Whittier School of Law. From December 2019 to July 2021, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Los Angeles – Van Nuys Boulevard Immigration Court. From October 2017 to December 2019, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Los Angeles – N. Los Angeles Street Immigration Court. From November 2009 to October 2017, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Los Angeles – Olive Street Immigration Court. From 2004 to 2009, she served as Deputy Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Los Angeles. From 2003 to 2004, she served as Assistant Chief Counsel, ICE, DHS, and from 1995 to 2003, she served as an Assistant Chief Counsel for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service. From 1992 to 1995, she worked as a Judicial Law Clerk at the U.S. District Court, in Los Angeles. Judge Naselow-Nahas is a member of the State Bar of California.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Julie Nelson was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2023. Judge Nelson earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2003 from Biola University and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from California Western School of Law. From February 2017 to October 2023, she served as an Immigration Judge at the San Francisco Immigration Court.  From December 2014 to January 2017, and previously from 2009 through May 2014, she served as an assistant chief counsel for the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Eloy, Arizona. From June 2014 to November 2014, she served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Steven P. Logan, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. From 2008 through 2009, she served as an attorney advisor for the Los Angeles Immigration Court. From 2007 through 2008, she served as a judicial law clerk for the San Diego Immigration Court entering on duty through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. From 2007 through 2009, she served on the faculty of Biola University as an adjunct professor. Judge Nelson is a member of the State Bar of California.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Anne Kristina Perry was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in April 2020. Judge Perry earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1978 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctor in 1981 from the Loyola Law School. From 2019 to 2020, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Imperial Immigration Court. From 2018 to 2019, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Los Angeles Immigration Court. From 1991 to 2018, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California in San Diego. From 1987 to 1991, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada. From 1983 to 1987, she was a deputy attorney general with the State of Nevada. From 1982 to 1983, she was a deputy district attorney in Clark County, Nevada. Judge Perry is a member of the State Bar of California, and State Bar of Nevada. 

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Jennifer I. Peyton was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in January 2022. Judge Peyton earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 from Trinity College and a Juris Doctor in 1998 from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law. From 2016 to 2021, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Chicago Immigration Court. From 2003 to 2016, she was in private practice as managing partner of Jennifer I. Peyton, Attorney at Law LLC, in Cleveland. In 2013, she joined the faculty of the Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where she served as an adjunct clinical professor, and in 2006 she joined the faculty of the Case Western University School of Law, where she served as an adjunct professor. Judge Peyton is a member of the Ohio State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Rodin Rooyani was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in January 2016. Judge Rooyani received a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 from George Mason University and a Juris Doctor in 1998 from the University of Maryland School of Law. From April 2009 to January 2016, she served as an Immigration Judge at the Los Angeles Immigration Court. From November 2004 to April 2009, Judge Rooyani served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the National Security Section, Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. From 1998 to 2004, she served as a trial attorney with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service and as an assistant chief counsel with the Department of Homeland Security entering on duty through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. Judge Rooyani is a member of the State Bar of California, and Maryland State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Jayme Salinardi was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2023. Judge Salinardi earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Juris Doctor in 1999 from the University of Missouri-Columbia. From June 2016 to October 2023, he served as an Immigration Judge at the Kansas City Immigration Court. From 2012 to May 2016, he served as a deputy chief counsel for the Office of the Chief Counsel (OCC), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). From 2003 through 2012, he served as an assistant chief counsel and senior attorney for OCC, ICE, DHS. From 2000 through 2003, Judge Salinardi was an immigration attorney for Fallon, Bixby, Cheng & Lee, in San Francisco. From 2011 to 2013, Judge Salinardi served an adjunct professor of Immigration Law at the University of Missouri School of Law. Judge Salinardi is a member of the State Bar of California.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Theresa M. Scala was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in November 2017. Judge Scala received a Bachelor of Science in 1986 from Ithaca College and a Juris Doctor in 1992 from Nova Southeastern University Law Center. From 2010 to 2017, Judge Scala served as an Immigration Judge at the Tacoma Immigration Court. From 1994 to 2010, she served as an assistant chief counsel and deputy chief counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in Miami and Orlando, Florida. Judge Scala began her legal career with the Executive Office for Immigration Review in Miami, Florida, where she served as attorney advisor and Judicial Law Clerk from 1992 to 1994. Judge Scala is a member of the Florida Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Noelle Sharp was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2021. Judge Sharp earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from San Francisco State University and a Juris Doctor in 2005 from Stetson University School of Law. From 2010 to 2021, she was an Immigration Attorney in private practice in California, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. From 2008-2010 she was an adjunct professor at Evergreen State College, in addition to serving as Executive Director of Centro Latino and freelance grant writer in 2008. From 2006 to 2007, she was Director at Catholic Charities Office of Refugee Resettlement Services in Tallahassee, Florida. From 2005 to 2006, she was a Law Clerk with Florida Rural Legal Services. Judge Sharp is a member of the Washington State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Elisa M. Sukkar was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in April 2008. Judge Sukkar received a Bachelor of Science in 1983 from Florida International University and a Juris Doctor in 1987 from Nova Law School. From March 1995 to April 2008, Judge Sukkar served as an Immigration Judge at the Miami Immigration Court. From 1987 to 1995, she was in private practice in Miami, specializing in immigration law. Judge Sukkar is a member of the Florida Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Khalilah M. Taylor was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in March 2020. Judge Taylor earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1998 from Temple University and a Juris Doctor in 2001 from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. From 2016 to 2020, she served as an assistant chief counsel and deputy chief counsel, Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in New York. From 2014 to 2016, she served as an associate counsel with the Refugee and Asylum Law Division, Office of the Chief Counsel, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS, in Rosedale, New York. From 2002 to 2014, she served as an assistant district counsel/assistant chief counsel, senior attorney, and deputy chief counsel, OCC, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in New York. From 2001 to 2002, she served as a Judicial Law Clerk at the Newark Immigration Court. Judge Taylor is a member of the New York State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Ubaid ul-Haq was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in April 2021. Judge Haq earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2005 from the University of Virginia, a Juris Doctor in 2010 from Nova Southeastern University, and a Master of Laws in 2011 from American University Washington College of Law. From January 2020 to April 2021, he served as an Immigration Judge at the Ulster Immigration Court. In 2019, he served as a Trial Attorney with the Office of Immigration Litigation’s (OIL) Appellate Court Section, Civil Division, Department of Justice (DOJ), in the District of Columbia. From 2014 to 2019, he served as a Trial Attorney with OIL’s District Court Section, and Training Coordinator from 2017 to 2019. Since 2016, he has also served as a Judge Advocate with the U.S. Army Reserve, in Alexandria, Virginia, and has worked in various other capacities in the Army Reserve since 2005. In 2014, he served as an Associate Legal Advisor, Executive Communications Unit, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in the District of Columbia. From 2011 to 2014, he served as an Assistant Chief Counsel, OPLA-San Antonio, ICE, DHS, in Pearsall, Texas. Judge Haq is a member of the Florida Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Rebecca J. Walters was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2021. Judge Walters earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2005 from the University of Virginia and a Juris Doctor in 2010 from the American University Washington College of Law. From 2019 to 2021, she was a Managing Attorney; from 2014 to 2019, a Supervising Attorney; from 2012 to 2014, a Staff Attorney; and from 2010 to 2012, a Skadden Fellow, all at non-profit Ayuda, in Northern Virginia. From 2005 to 2007, she served as the Staff Assistant for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration, in the District of Columbia. Judge Walters is a member of the Virginia State Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Ryan R. Wood was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in March 2019. Judge Wood earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from Hamline University, a Juris Doctor in 2004 from the Hamline University School of Law, and a Master of Business Administration in 2015 from the Hamline University School of Business. From January 2005 to October 2009, he was a judge advocate with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps, serving in the 4th and 7th Infantry Divisions and the Trial Defense Service. From October 2009 through November 2014, he served as an assistant chief counsel for the Office of the Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Fort Snelling, Minn. From November 2014 to April 2017, he served as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota, Department of Justice. From 2017 to 2019, he served as an Immigration Judge at the Fort Snelling Immigration Court. Judge Wood is a member of the Minnesota Bar.

ACIJ Assignment(s):

Updated October 7, 2024