Source: EOIR — Find an Immigration Court.
Recording an internet-based hearing is prohibited (8 C.F.R. § 1003.28). Respondents without a representative default to in-person hearings.
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Blake Doughty earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2004 from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctor in 2008 from Roger Williams University School of Law. From 2019 to 2020 he served as deputy chief counsel, and from 2015 to 2019 as assistant chief counsel, with the Office of the Chief Counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in Atlanta and Lumpkin, Georgia. He was an assistant district attorney in Hall County, Georgia (2014-2015) and served as a U.S. Army judge advocate from 2009 to 2014.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
2,126
Completions per year
12,753 total
6.4%
Detained at decision
share of cases
18.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
38.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
9.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
3.1%
Appeals remanded or reversed
162 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.
64.6%
Bond requests granted
82 bond decisions Moderate
$9,750
Median bond when set
42 bonds with amounts
3.8%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 64.6%
Court average 0%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
9.4%
1,155 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.6%
1,782 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
5.2%
134 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
74.6%
63 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
93.6%
330 decisions High confidence
9.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,155 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
9.4%
This court
10.8%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 17% 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 · 884 decisions since 2021
11.2%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 271 decisions since 2021
3.3%
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).