Emmett Soper is a former immigration judge who is now in private practice with Benach Pitney Reilly LLP in Washington, DC. Emmett was appointed as an immigration judge in late 2016 by Attorney General Loretta Lynch. In March 2021, he stepped away from the courtroom to serve as counsel to the Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the branch of the Department of Justice that administers the immigration courts and Board of Immigration Appeals. In May 2024, he returned to his position as an immigration judge, serving until he was fired by the Trump administration in July 2025.

Before becoming an immigration judge, Emmett held a number of positions within DOJ, including at EOIR headquarters and with DOJ’s Office of Policy. He began his legal career in 2005 as a judicial law clerk at an immigration court.

Soper briefed National Press Foundation fellows in October 2025: ICE Courthouse Presence ‘Off-the-Charts Problematic’ for Immigration Judges.