Three New Immigration Judges for Adelanto, Harlingen, and San Francisco Immigration Courts

On June 8, 2018, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced the swearing in of three new immigration judges on that same day [PDF version]. The three new immigration judges were appointed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In this post, we will list the new immigration judges, the immigration courts on which they now serve, and biographical information about each of the new judges with reference to the EOIR news release. Please see our previous posts on new immigration judges [see index].

Immigration Judge Maria N. Bjornerud, Adelanto Immigration Court

Judge Bjornerud began hearing cases at the Adelanto Immigration Court in June 2018. Prior to her service on the Adelanto Immigration Court, Judge Bjornerud was an attorney for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from 2006-2018. Judge Bjornerud has a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law and a baccalaureate degree from Moscow Pedagogical University.

Immigration Judge Sean D. Clancy, Harlingen Immigration Court

Judge Clancy began hearing cases at the Harlingen Immigration Court in June 2018. Prior to his service on the Harlingen Immigration Court, Judge Clancy served in various legal capacities for the government in the immigration context. From 2002-2003, he was an attorney for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). From 2003-2013, he worked as an attorney for the ICE office in Harlingen, Texas. From 2013-2018, he was an attorney for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Judge Clancy also served as an assistant attorney general for Tennessee from 1998 to 2002 and as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Brownsville, Texas, from 2010 to 2013. Judge Clancy has a law degree from Washington and Lee University.

Immigration Judge Jacqueline J. Jackson, San Francisco Immigration Court

Judge Jackson began hearing cases at the San Francisco Immigration Court in June 2018. Judge Jackson had extensive experience as both a lawyer for various immigration components of the government and in the military prior to beginning service on the San Francisco Immigration Court. While on active duty military service, Judge Jackson served as a military lawyer in various capacities from 1990 to 1997. From 1997 to 1999, she was an assistant U.S. attorney in San Diego. Since that time, she has worked for the government in immigration contexts. From 2000 to 2006, Judge Jackson was an attorney for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in San Francisco. Then, from 2006 to 2018, Judge Jackson was a senior attorney with ICE. She has a law degree from UCLA School of Law and also has a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College.