Appointed June 2015 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
11 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Amit Chugh earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in 1999 from Michigan State University and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from the American University Washington College of Law. Before his appointment, he served as an attorney advisor at the Board of Immigration Appeals from 2004 to 2015 and as a judicial law clerk from 2002 to 2004 through the Attorney General's Honors Program. He is a member of the New Jersey and New York State Bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
742
Completions per year
4,453 total
1.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
19.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
30.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
1.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 8 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
61.1%
334 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
10.6%
264 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
88.5%⚠
26 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
92.6%⚠
27 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
8 decisions Too few cases
61.1%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 334 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
61.1%
This court
32.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 11% 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 · 309 decisions since 2021
64.7%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 25 decisions since 2021
16%
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).