The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced the appointment of 20 immigration judges—18 immigration judges who joined courts in California, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia, and two appellate immigration judges who joined the Board of Immigration Appeals. Acting Director Mary Cheng delivered remarks and Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco administered the oath of office during the investiture, which was held today at the Department of Justice’s Great Hall in Washington, D.C.
Acting Director Mary Cheng delivered remarks and Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco administered the oath of office during the investiture, which was held at the Department of Justice’s Great Hall in Washington, D.C.
Immigration judges and appellate immigration judges and are career employees, and each one is selected after a thorough and competitive application process. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland officially appointed the following GW Law alumni as immigration judges: Brent D. Jostad, JD '10, and Rajesh K. Mathew, MSL '20.
Brent D. Jostad, Immigration Judge, Richmond Immigration Adjudication Center Brent D. Jostad was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in May 2024. Judge Jostad earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2007 from The George Washington University and a Juris Doctor in 2010 from The George Washington University Law School. From 2019 to 2024, he served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Miami. From 2010 to 2019, he served as an assistant state attorney with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Judge Jostad is a member of the Florida Bar.
Rajesh K. Mathew, Immigration Judge, Hyattsville Immigration Court Rajesh K. Mathew was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in May 2024. Judge Mathew earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2008 from Saint Xavier University, a Juris Doctor in 2012 from The John Marshall Law School, a Master of Arts in 2020 from Liberty University, and a Master of Laws in 2020 from The George Washington University Law School. From 2023 to 2024, he served as an assistant general counsel with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice. From 2013 to 2023, he served as an attorney with the United States Air Force at the following locations: Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Georgia; Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, Louisiana; and Malmstrom Air Force Base, Great Falls, Montana. Judge Mathew is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, Illinois State Bar, and New York State Bar.