EOIR Announces Appointment of Sheila McNulty as Chief Immigration Judge

FALLS CHURCH, VA – The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) today announced the appointment of Sheila McNulty as the Chief Immigration Judge. Judge McNulty has served EOIR since 2010, including as a part of Office of the Chief Immigration Judge leadership for the past 6.5 years.

“Judge McNulty brings to this critical leadership position an incredible depth of experience and both the skills and desire to improve our immigration court system,” said EOIR Director David L. Neal. “Her understanding of what justice means to judges and to those before them provides a perfect foundation for the critical evaluation of our processes and procedures.”

As Chief Immigration Judge, Judge McNulty will be responsible for applying her knowledge of, and experience in, immigration law and procedures to manage the immigration court system. She will make management decisions regarding staffing and budget and be the lead official overseeing the corps of immigration judges nationwide.

Since March 2021, Judge McNulty has served as a Regional Deputy 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 November 2015 to March 2021, she served as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge, and during this time, 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.