February 16, 2007
Immigration Judge Takes Oath of Office
In Newark
NEWARK, N.J. - Dorothy A. Harbeck was sworn in today as an immigration judge for the Elizabeth Immigration Court during an investiture ceremony at 2:00 p.m. at the Peter Rodino Federal Building. Acting Chief Immigration Judge David L. Neal, from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) in Falls Church, Va., administered the oath of office.
Judge Harbeck joins the ranks of more than 200 immigration judges located in 54 immigration courts throughout the nation. Immigration judges are responsible for conducting formal administrative proceedings to determine whether foreign-born individuals who are charged with violations of federal immigration law should be removed from the United States or may be granted relief from removal. Immigration judges decide each case independently and their decisions are final unless appealed or certified to the Board of Immigration Appeals. In the past year, immigration judges completed more than 300,000 matters. They also are authorized to administer oaths of citizenship to candidates for naturalization.
Dorothy A. Harbeck was appointed as an immigration judge in September 2006. She received a bachelor of arts degree in 1984 from Wellesley College and a juris doctorate in 1989 from Seton Hall University School of Law. She received a certificate in trial advocacy skills from the National Institute of Trial Advocacy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. From 1990 to September 2006, Judge Harbeck was in private practice in Trenton and Red Bank, N.J. She is a former New Jersey Superior Court arbitrator and an accredited mediator. She is a member of the New Jersey and New York bars.
- EOIR -
EOIR is responsible for adjudicating immigration cases. Specifically, under delegated authority from the Attorney General, EOIR interprets and administers the federal immigration laws by conducting immigration court proceedings, appellate reviews, and administrative hearings. EOIR consists of three components: the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge, which is responsible for managing the numerous immigration courts located throughout the United States where immigration judges adjudicate individual cases; the Board of Immigration Appeals, which primarily conducts appellate reviews of immigration judge decisions; and the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, which adjudicates immigration-related employment cases. EOIR is committed to providing the fair, expeditious, and uniform application of the nation's immigration laws in all cases.
Information about EOIR immigration proceedings is available on EOIR’s website at http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/press/subject.htm.
| Contact: | Office of Legislative and Public Affairs |
| (703) 305-0289 Fax: (703) 605-0365 | |
| Internet: | www.usdoj.gov/eoir |