EOIR Immigration Judge
EOIR resources / Immigration judges / Matthew E. Sweet
Judge Matthew E. Sweet
Annandale Immigration Court · Annandale, Virginia · Immigration Judge
Court Assignment
Annandale Immigration Court in Annandale, Virginia is this judge's listed court assignment and serves cases associated with Virginia. EOIR venue and transfer rules determine where an individual case is heard, so respondents should follow the location on their latest notice.
Immigration Judge Role and Case Types
Immigration judges are trial-level adjudicators who preside over removal proceedings. They decide whether a respondent is removable and consider applications for relief such as asylum, withholding of removal, protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT), and cancellation of removal. They also hear bond matters when the court has jurisdiction. EOIR does not publish individual immigration judge decision statistics in the same way the Social Security Administration publishes Administrative Law Judge disposition statistics.
Professional Role
Matthew E. Sweet was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in April 2026. Judge Sweet earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2014 from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Juris Doctor in 2018 from Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. From 2020 to 2026, he served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Arlington and Annandale, Virginia. During that time, he specialized in immigration matters relating to appellate litigation, criminal law, human rights violators, and national security. From 2018 to 2020, he served as a presidential management fellow at the Library of Congress. From 2016 to 2018, he served as a U.S. congressional law clerk for the House Committee on Small Business, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the House Judiciary Committee, and the Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of the Honorable Senator Orrin Hatch. Judge Sweet is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and U.S. Supreme Court Bar.
Immigration judges are attorneys appointed by the Attorney General. EOIR's published qualifications call for at least seven years of post-bar-admission legal experience. Judges serve as trial-level adjudicators in the immigration court system; they are not attorneys for either side.
Immigration Process and Respondent Resources
This page is general information, not legal advice. Immigration rules, court procedures, and enforcement policies can change. Deadlines and options depend on your case and the notices you received. Talk with a qualified immigration attorney or DOJ-accredited representative about your situation.