June 6, 1997
ARLINGTON, VA -- Michael J. Creppy, Chief Immigration Judge, will give the oath of office today to a new Immigration Judge in an investiture ceremony at 4:00 p.m. in the Ceremonial Courtroom, United States Immigration Court, Thirteenth Floor, 901 North Stuart Street, Arlington, Virginia. Douglas B. Schoppert joins the ranks of over 200 Immigration Court Judges located in more than 40 Immigration Courts throughout the nation.
Immigration Judges are responsible for conducting formal administrative proceedings, and act independently in their decision-making capacity. Immigration Judges preside over more than 250,000 formal, judicial removal proceedings each year. These decisions are administratively final unless appealed or certified to the Board of Immigration Appeals. In addition to determining whether individuals are admissible or removable, Immigration Judges have jurisdiction to consider applications for various forms of relief from removal. These include applications for such relief as asylum, adjustment of status, cancellation of removal, waivers of inadmissibility, and custody/bond redeterminations. Immigration Judges are also authorized to administer oaths of citizenship to naturalization applicants.
Judge Schoppert was appointed Immigration Judge in May 1997 and is serving in New York City. He received his B.A. in 1978 from Georgetown University, and his J.D. from the College of William and Mary in 1982. From 1995 to 1997, Judge Schoppert was in private practice in Falls Church, Virginia. He served as a Consultant to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from August to December 1994. From 1993 to 1994, Judge Schoppert worked as a Supervisor/Attorney with Catholic Charities/Hogar Hispano in Arlington, Virginia. From 1988 to 1992, he served as a Supervisory Attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago. Judge Schoppert is a member of both the Virginia and Illinois Bars.