The Honorable Immigration Judge Brandon J Josephsen

Memphis, TN Immigration Court
Appointed December 2021 · President Joe Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland (AG inferred from date)
4 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration

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Background

The Honorable Immigration Judge Brandon J. Josephsen earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from Illinois State University and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from the University of Miami School of Law. He was an associate attorney practicing civil litigation in Miami (2006-2007), then served with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as assistant chief counsel in Miami (2007-2012) and as deputy chief counsel in Memphis (2012-2021). He was appointed an immigration judge in December 2021 and is a member of the Florida Bar.

Caseload & process (since 2021)
2,234
Completions per year
13,405 total
8.4%
Detained at decision
share of cases
20.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
42.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
9.3%
Appeals remanded or reversed
54 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.
41.3%
Bond requests granted
155 bond decisions Moderate
$7,500
Median bond when set
63 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 41.3%
Court average 19.4% · 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
23.9% 485 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
4.2% 744 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
18.4% 38 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0% 2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
80% 20 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
96.5% 339 decisions High confidence
23.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 485 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
23.9%
This court
28%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 47% 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 · 439 decisions since 2021
25.3%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 46 decisions since 2021
10.9%

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.
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%2018: 0% of 1 decisions0%20182020: 0% of 6 decisions0%20202022: 21.7% of 92 decisions21.7%20222023: 34.8% of 112 decisions34.8%20232024: 39.3% of 117 decisions39.3%20242025: 9.3% of 118 decisions9.3%20252026 (partial year): 0% of 46 decisions0%2026*
* 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).
Memphis, TN · home court
13,341 (100%)
6 (0.04%)
5 (0.04%)
5 (0.04%)
5 (0.04%)
4 (0.03%)