The Honorable Immigration Judge Alberto J Riefkohl
Newark, NJ Immigration Court
Appointed March 1995 · President Bill Clinton→ Attorney General Janet Reno(AG inferred from date)
31 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Alberto J Riefkohl received a Bachelor of Arts in 1968 and a Juris Doctorate in 1974, both from the University of Puerto Rico. From 1975 to 1979 he served as a general attorney in the Litigation Division of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in New York, and from 1979 to 1994 he was a partner with Lebenkoff & Coven, followed by a partnership in Riefkohl & Riefkohl from 1994 to 1995, both in New York. He also served in the U.S. Air Force (National Guard) from 1968 to 1974. He is a member of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,479
Completions per year
8,872 total
4.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
14.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
29.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.2%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
25.3%
Appeals remanded or reversed
79 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
41.3%
814 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.2%
865 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
98.1%
260 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%
97 decisions Moderate
41.3%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 814 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
41.3%
This court
19.9%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 29% of the 825 judges nationally with enough cases to compare.
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyerrepresented · 756 decisions since 2021
43.7%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 58 decisions since 2021
10.3%
Asylum grant rate over time
Each point is that calendar year's grant rate, back to 2015 where the judge was deciding cases — the longer career view. Dashed grey line = current national average (31.8%). Headline rates above use 2021 – today.
* 2026 is a partial year (data through 06/01/2026) and is incomplete.
Courts where this judge has decided cases
Hearing locations for cases this judge completed since 2021, by number of decisions.
Many judges hear cases from more than one court (detained facilities, video dockets, or reassignments).