# James Abeshaus

Immigration Judge · [Houston - Greenspoint Park Immigration Court](/kyj/court/tx/houston-greenspoint-park-immigration-court)

Last updated October 25, 2026

## James Abeshaus at a glance

Current role

Immigration Judge

Court

[Houston - Greenspoint Park Immigration Court](/kyj/court/tx/houston-greenspoint-park-immigration-court)

Current assignment

[Houston - Greenspoint Park Immigration Court](/kyj/court/tx/houston-greenspoint-park-immigration-court)

Jurisdiction

Texas · Federal

Judicial service

Active

## Immigration proceeding outcomes

No proceeding outcomes in this EOIR release are matched to this profile. Any separately published asylum statistics are available below.

## Biography

### Professional career

- an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Houston — November 2025–August 2026
- From January 2022 to November 2025, he was in private practice for Prestige LLC in Austin, Texas
- appellate counsel with the Soldiers Medical Evaluation Board at the U.S. Army Medical Command in Edinburgh, Indiana (May 2016–September 2017)
- From September 2004 through September 2010, he served in the U.S. Army on active duty as a judge advocate in the following roles: brigade judge advocate for the 1st Recruiting Brigade at Fort Meade, Maryland, chief of military justice for the 21st Theater Sustainment Command in Mons, Belgium, and trial defense counsel for the trial defense service and legal assistance attorney for the 8th U.S. Army in Yongsan, South Korea.
- Veteran of the U.S. Army JAG Corps, a diplomat, and a seasoned litigator with experience in corporate law, military justice, and international affairs

### Education

- Florida Coastal School of Law — J.D. (2004)
- Indiana University Bloomington — B.A. (2000)

### Additional information

- James R. Abeshaus was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in August 2026.
- Appointment: August 2026, under the Trump administration
- From September 2017 to December 2021, he was a corporate counsel, Western Hemisphere Product Liability and Class Action, for Mercedes-Benz Cars in Stuttgart, Germany.
- a U.S. foreign service officer in Paris in the Political Section, and as vice consul in Paris and Hyderabad, India — January 2011–February 2015
- Judge Abeshaus is a member of the Florida Bar.
- His appointment to the immigration bench marks his transition into federal judicial service, and EOIR has not yet released case statistics for his docket.

## Sources

Identity source checked August 30, 2026 .

Biography sources checked October 10, 2026 .

### DOJ EOIR current immigration judge directory

Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 30, 2026

### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 2.1 - Delivery and Receipt

Courtwide source · HTML · Source checked July 30, 2026

### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 2.3 - Documents

### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 3.10 - Interpreters

### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 3.11 - Courtroom Decorum

### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 3.12 - Electronic Devices

### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 3.15 - Individual Calendar Hearing

### Find an Immigration Court and Access Internet-Based Hearings

### Find an Immigration Court and Access Internet-Based Hearings

Judge Specific source · HTML · Source checked September 14, 2026

### Current EOIR official staff directory

Current EOIR Official Staff Directory source · HTML · Source checked October 7, 2026

[Public Records & Data Use](/public-records-data-use) · [Corrections policy](/corrections)