Appointed November 2011 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
14 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Barry S Chait earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1984 from The George Washington University, a Juris Doctor in 1987 from the University of Miami School of Law, and a Master of Social Work in 1996 from Rutgers University. Before his appointment, he served as chief counsel for the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/DHS in St. Paul (2007-2011), as OPLA chief of training (2005-2008), and as acting director of the OPLA Legal Division at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia (2002-2005); earlier he was an assistant district counsel for the former INS (1995-2002) and an INS asylum officer (1993-1995).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,710
Completions per year
8,552 total
32.1%
Detained at decision
share of cases
1.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
2.7%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.1%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
16%
Appeals remanded or reversed
275 appeals decided
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
30.6%
Bond requests granted
565 bond decisions High confidence
$13,750
Median bond when set
156 bonds with amounts
13.3%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 30.6%
Court average 50.5% · median $5,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
5.7%
318 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.6%
705 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
15.8%⚠
19 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
66.7%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
0%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
59.5%
682 decisions High confidence
5.7%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 318 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
5.7%
This court
9.4%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 9% 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 · 202 decisions since 2021
7.4%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 116 decisions since 2021
2.6%
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.
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).