The U.S. Department of Justice has sworn in nearly 80 new immigration judges nationwide as immigration courts face growing case backlogs, including three judges assigned to Charlotte’s immigration court, which handles cases in the Carolinas.
The new judges nationwide make up the largest class of immigration judge appointments in the DOJ’s history.
According to biographies released by the DOJ on Thursday, none of the three newly appointed judges assigned to Charlotte appear to have prior immigration law experience. Two previously served as North Carolina state district judges, while the third worked as an assistant attorney general and state prosecutor.
The additions bring Charlotte’s immigration court to seven permanent judges, plus two temporary judges. Charlotte’s immigration court handles cases from both North and South Carolina and currently has a backlog of about 129,000 pending cases.
The DOJ says reducing the case backlog is one of its highest priorities.
