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 Brendan C Curran was appointed as an immigration judge in October 2020 by Attorney General William P. Barr. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1990 from Marquette University and a Juris Doctor in 1994 from DePaul University College of Law. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1994 to 1999 and as an assistant state's attorney with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office from 1999 to 2007. From 2007 to 2020, he served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Chicago. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,492
Completions per year
8,953 total
4.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
18.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
15.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
5.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
13.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
89 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.
31.2%⚠
Bond requests granted
32 bond decisions Too few cases
$5,000
Median bond when set
37 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 31.2%
Court average 56.1% · median $3,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
29.4%
612 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
4.7%
742 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
22.7%
88 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
90.9%⚠
11 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
90.5%⚠
42 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
91.4%
186 decisions Moderate
29.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 612 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
29.4%
This court
45.7%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 46% 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 · 532 decisions since 2021
32.7%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 80 decisions since 2021
7.5%
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).