ARLINGTON IMMIGRATION COURT REPORT: JUDGE THOMAS SNOW WILL BE SERVING AS APPELLATE IMMIGRATION JUDGE/TEMPORARY BOARD MEMBER (“TBM”) AT BIA IN FALLS CHURCH FOR AT LEAST FOUR MONTHS — No Word On What Will Happen To His Arlington Docket!

Hon. Thomas “Frosty the Snowman” Snow, flanked by Hon. John Milo “JB” Bryant (on right, in the funny looking dark suit) and by Judge Rodger B. “Marine” Harris and me (on left) departing for my last “Thursday Judges’ Lunch” on the day of my retirement, June 30, 2016.

Judge Snow has previously served as a TBM, as well as the Acting Director of EOIR and the Acting Chief Immigration Judge, as well as a Senior Executive in the International Affairs Section of the Criminal Division of the USDOJ. So, he is no stranger to “The Tower” in Falls Church where the BIA is located. He also has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at UVA and William & Mary, his two alma maters.

Judge Snow is widely respected by both private practitioners and DHS Counsel as a due-process-oriented, fair, scholarly, patient, and unfailingly polite jurist. His overall asylum grant rate has been approximately 70%.

He will join 15 permanent Appellate Immigration Judges, as well as Judge Keith Hunsucker and two Senior BIA Attorney Advisors who also serve as TBMs. Of course, the BIA once had a sufficient number of permanent judges, over 20 at one time, prior to AG John Ashcroft’s purge. That “purge” crippled the BIA’s effectiveness and reputation as a due-process-oriented appellate court as part of a successful effort to remove so-called “liberal judges” from their appellate positions.

Normally, TBMs serve for renewable 120 day appointments. My sources were unaware of what arrangements have been made for the docket Judge Snow leaves behind at the Arlington Immigration Court, where approximately 30,000 cases are pending and Individual Merits hearings are scheduled as far out as 2021-22.

If someone out there in “Courtsideland” knows the fate of Judge Snow’s Arlington docket, please share with everyone by posting in the “comments” box below.

Good luck to Judge Snow in his new temporary assignment.

PWS

02-11-17

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Elias Zakarias
Elias Zakarias
6 years ago

You are correct ! He is highly respected by the private bar. Unfortunately, I now know first hand what happens to his cases. They are set out two years for a master with a visiting judge !

Elias Zakarias
Elias Zakarias
6 years ago

How did Judge O’Leary “predictably” retire ? He is so young. Of course you are too, but you know what I mean.

Elias Zakarias
Elias Zakarias
6 years ago

As attorneys practicing before the Immigration Court in Arlington, we were so blessed to have so many wonderful judges. I was so happy when I heard Judge O’Leary was coming back, and was wondering where he went. I did know why he left his administrative job (CIJ), but never even heard that he retired until you just told us. Thank you. Let us now hope that there is something that can be done about “ADR.”

Parastoo G Zahedi
Parastoo G Zahedi
6 years ago

Here is the Update on Judge Snow’s Docket from the court administrator, Deborah Castro:

All of Judge Snow’s MCH and IH through March 2 2018 were rescheduled. Starting March 5, 2018, Judge Nadkarni is going to be hearing some of the cases for Judge Snow. Notices reflecting the change in courtroom (2nd floor, courtroom 3) have already started to be mailed out. The staff is in the process of mailing out reset notices for the cases that will not be heard by Judge Nadkarni for March and April. You can instruct the membership to check the 1-800 number for the status of their particular cases.

Deborah A. Castro
Court Administrator
Arlington, VA