Judge Schmidt was appointed as a federal immigration judge in 2003. Prior to his appointment as an immigration judge, he served as a board member for the Board of Immigration Appeals, Executive Office for Immigration Review, and served as its chair from 1995 to 2001. He stepped down as chairman to adjudicate cases full-time. Prior positions include the following: deputy general counsel of Immigration and Naturalization Service; managing partner at Fragomen, Del Rey & Bernsen; and as business immigration law attorney with Jones, Day, Reavis and Pogue. Judge Schmidt also served as an adjunct professor of law at George Mason University School of Law in 1989. He has authored numerous articles on immigration law, and has written extensively for the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Judge Schmidt is a member of the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the Wisconsin and District of Columbia Bars.