# Richard J. Averwater Richard J. Averwater was appointed an immigration judge in June 2015 at the Memphis Immigration Court. He earned a B.S. from the University of the Ozarks in 1985 and a J.D. from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1988. Averwater began his federal legal career through the Attorney General's Honors Program with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in El Paso. He later served as an FBI special agent and pilot, held immigration-enforcement counsel positions in Oakdale and Memphis, worked as a Shelby County assistant district attorney and as a litigation attorney for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, and practiced immigration law privately in Memphis from 2010 until his judicial appointment. He is a member of the Tennessee Bar. Former Immigration Judge · [Memphis Immigration Court](/kyj/court/tn/memphis-immigration-court) ## Richard J. Averwater at a glance Current role Former Immigration Judge Court [Memphis Immigration Court](/kyj/court/tn/memphis-immigration-court) Jurisdiction Tennessee · Federal Judicial service Former Historical EOIR data ## Outcomes at a glance Total outcomes 3,929 Relief granted 250 6.4% Denied / removal ordered 2,925 74.4% Other / procedural 754 19.2% National comparison for this selection: 9,249,024 outcomes; 10.0% relief granted; 52.0% denied / removal ordered; 38.0% other / procedural. Methodology and sources These are proceeding outcomes, not asylum application statistics. Completion years use EOIR COMP_DATE; 2026 contains partial-year data. Relief granted, denied / removal ordered and other / procedural exhaust the recorded outcomes. Groups of one are included. Historical outcomes do not establish a current assignment. Counts describe recorded cases and do not predict an individual's result. [Official EOIR case data](https://fileshare.eoir.justice.gov/EOIR%20Case%20Data.zip) · Source date: Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:14:27 GMT ## Biography ### Professional career - Immigration Judge, Executive Office for Immigration Review (Memphis Immigration Court) 2015-06 - Selected as an immigration judge in June 2015 at the Memphis Immigration Court by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) - Litigation Attorney, Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Office of Legal Counsel 2009–2010 - Assistant District Attorney, Shelby County District Attorney's Office (Memphis, Tennessee) 2000–2001 - Attorney, Immigration and Naturalization Service (El Paso, Texas) 1989–1990 — Attorney General's Honors Program - The record notes that eOIR’s official profile lists Averwater as a former immigration judge ### Education - University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law — J.D. (1988) - University of the Ozarks — B.S. (1985) ### Additional information - Private Immigration Practice (Memphis, Tennessee) 2010-06–2015-05 - Assistant Chief Counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Memphis, Tennessee) 2002–2007 - Assistant Chief Counsel, Immigration enforcement agency (Oakdale, Louisiana) 1993–2000 - Special Agent and Pilot, Federal Bureau of Investigation (Tampa, Florida) 1990–1992 - Public EOIR and court records list him as a former judge; some sources also note his later association with the New York Varick 5th Immigration Court in statistical datasets, though his official EOIR profile identifies Memphis as his primary assignment ## Sources Identity source checked September 20, 2026 . ### DOJ EOIR current immigration judge directory Identity source · HTML · Source checked September 20, 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 [Public Records & Data Use](/public-records-data-use) · [Corrections policy](/corrections)