At Campos Law Firm, we closely monitor developments in U.S. immigration policy to protect our clients’ rights and future. On October 22, 2026, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the Justice Department agency that runs the immigration courts, announced the swearing-in of 22 immigration judges and 4 temporary immigration judges.
If you have a case pending in Immigration Court, the question is natural: will this bring my hearing sooner? Below, we explain what is known, what is not, and what you can do.
What did the Justice Department announce?
According to the EOIR press release, Chief Immigration Judge Teresa L. Riley administered the oath at a ceremony held at the Justice Department’s National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Attorney General Todd Blanche appointed the judges after an application process. EOIR Acting Director Sirce E. Owen said the agency is “dedicated to bringing on board new immigration judges in record numbers.”
This is not an isolated class. On September 24, 2026, EOIR announced 47 judges and 6 temporary judges, and in May it swore in 82 at once, the largest class in its history, according to CBS News. The October 22 release does not say which court each judge will sit in; that information appears in the biographical notices EOIR publishes separately.
The temporary judges deserve a note. Under a rule issued in August 2025, the EOIR director may designate “any attorney” as a temporary immigration judge for renewable six-month terms, according to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. Previously, the role was limited to former judges and attorneys with at least ten years of immigration experience.
Do more judges mean a smaller backlog?
Not necessarily, and the numbers explain why. According to TRAC at Syracuse University, 3,037,800 cases were pending in the immigration courts at the end of September 2026. In fiscal year 2026 the courts completed 1,005,703 cases but received 560,433 new ones, and the average wait for a pending case climbed to 940 days in July 2026, 71 percent longer than two years earlier.
The new appointments also follow a wave of departures. CRS estimates the judge corps fell from 735 at the end of fiscal year 2024 to 557 at the end of December 2025, and that 115 judges left the agency in fiscal year 2025 alone through retirements, resignations, and reported firings. In other words, much of each new class replaces judges who are gone rather than expanding real capacity.
Attorney Alejandra Campos, founder of Campos Law Firm, puts it simply: an appointment is administrative news, not a change in your file. More judges do not, by themselves, move your hearing date, change the standard used to decide your case, or alter your deadlines for filing evidence. What can happen is that some courts reshuffle their calendars and your case lands with a different judge.
How do you check your hearing date?
Do not rely on rumors or on what happened to someone you know. EOIR offers two free, official ways to check your case, both using your Alien Number (A-Number, the nine-digit number printed on your Notice to Appear, or NTA):
- ACIS online portal: at acis.eoir.justice.gov, enter your A-Number and nationality to see your next hearing, the assigned court, and the status of your case. The system shows only the primary and most recent case tied to that number.
- Automated hotline 1-800-898-7180: available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in English and Spanish, according to EOIR’s customer service page.
- Written notice: the court mails hearing notices to the address on file. If you moved, you must file Form EOIR-33 (change of address) with the court; otherwise you can miss a notice and receive a removal order in absentia.
Check the system often after announcements like this one, because rescheduling notices do not always arrive by mail in time.
What if your case is reassigned to a new judge?
A change of judge does not restart your case or erase what you have already filed. Your record, your evidence, and your applications for relief (asylum, cancellation of removal, adjustment of status) remain the same. What may change is the judge’s approach, the date of your individual hearing, and, in some cases, the deadlines for submitting documents.
If you receive a notice with a new judge or a new date:
- Keep the notice and confirm it in ACIS: the date that counts is the one in the system and on the official document, not what someone told you over the phone.
- Tell your attorney right away: a calendar change can move up the deadline to file evidence or witness lists.
- Never miss a hearing: failing to appear, even if you believe it was rescheduled, can result in an in absentia removal order.
- If you have no lawyer, get help now: according to TRAC, in September 2026 only 23.4 percent of people ordered removed had representation when the decision was issued.
Protect Your Immigration Status with Campos Law Firm
More judges do not guarantee a faster case or a different outcome. What shapes your future in Immigration Court is preparation: having your evidence ready, meeting every deadline, and knowing which forms of relief apply to your situation. Our immigration attorneys review your file, verify your calendar, and prepare your defense before any judge.
Do not leave your immigration status to chance. Call us today at +1 (844) 922-6767 to schedule a free, confidential consultation in English or Spanish. Campos Law Firm: Legal Solutions in All Areas of Law.
With information from the U.S. Justice Department / EOIR, TRAC, CBS News, and the Congressional Research Service.
