What is Judge Richard J. Douglas's background?
EOIR's notice says that Richard J. Douglas was appointed in May 2026. Judge Douglas earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1982 from the University of South Florida and Juris Doctor in 1984 from American University. From May 2021 to April 2026, he served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Adviser, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Houston, and led Houston’s INTERPOL/Foreign Fugitives team. From January 2009 to May of 2021, he practiced immigration and nationality, construction, criminal, and aviation law in Washington D.C. and Texas. From March 2006 to January 2009, he served in the Pentagon as the presidentially appointed deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and counterproliferation. From April 2000 to March 2005, he served as a senior U.S. Senate attorney for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
What the official record establishes
The source lists the name Richard J. Douglas in 1 alphabetical row. The recorded title is Immigration Judge. The record is not an appointment history or an employment certification.
Dated court associations
EOIR’s court-specific tables associate this entry with Dallas Immigration Court. The relationship is recorded as listed 2026-10-20; it may include supervisory coverage rather than a merits-hearing assignment.
No outcome or personal-profile claims
This entry does not provide an asylum approval rate, predict a decision, or claim personal background not established by the cited source. Confirm the assigned judge and attendance details from your notice and the court. A change of judge does not by itself change deadlines or excuse attendance.