On December 5, 2014, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced the appointment of Stacy Stiffel Paddack as an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO). ALJs at the EOIR hear immigration-related employment cases in OCAHO and do not hear removal cases in the immigration courts. For example, OCAHO is responsible for review of penalties imposed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for I-9 compliance violations. I-9 enforcement audits by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that fail to settle following the issuance of a Notice of Intent to Fine (NIF) are litigated before OCAHO. In calculating the amount of the penalty, OCAHO is not bound by ICE’s methodology, and the ALJ can consider a number of factors in rendering a decision.
EOIR has provided the following biography for Judge Paddack: She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989 from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Arts degree in 1994 from the School of International Service at American University, and a juris doctorate in 1997 from American University’s Washington College of Law. From 2010 to 2014, Judge Paddack served as an ALJ for the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review, Social Security Administration, in Tallahassee, Fl., where she became the acting chief ALJ. From 2003 to 2010, she served as a senior litigation counsel in the Office of Immigration Litigation, Civil Division, Department of Justice. From 1998 to 2003, Judge Paddack served as an attorney advisor for EOIR’s Board of Immigration Appeals and OCAHO entering on duty through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. Prior to 2003, Judge Paddack also served as an adjunct instructor in the Legal Rhetoric Program at American University’s Washington College of Law. Judge Paddack is a member of the Maryland State Bar.