The Honorable Immigration Judge Brent Jostad

Baltimore, MD Immigration Court
Appointed May 2024 · President Joe Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland
2 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration

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Background

The Honorable Immigration Judge Brent Jostad earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2007 from The George Washington University and a Juris Doctor in 2010 from The George Washington University Law School. From 2019 to 2024, he served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in Miami. From 2010 to 2019, he served as an assistant state attorney with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. He is a member of the Florida Bar.

Caseload & process (since 2021)
274
Completions per year
1,368 total
37.1%
Detained at decision
share of cases
30.6 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
6.8%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
24%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
7.4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
27 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.
50.8%
Bond requests granted
191 bond decisions Moderate
$8,000
Median bond when set
97 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 50.8%
Court average 14.9% · median $7,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500

Grant rates by type of relief

Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
12% 368 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.7% 586 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
10.3% 29 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
33.3% 3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
50% 4 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
92.3% 207 decisions High confidence
12%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 368 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
12%
This court
32.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 24% 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 · 325 decisions since 2021
13.5%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 43 decisions since 2021
0%

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%2024: 33.3% of 54 decisions33.3%20242025: 9.8% of 244 decisions9.8%20252026 (partial year): 2.9% of 70 decisions2.9%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).
Baltimore, MD · home court
673 (49%)
391 (29%)
113 (8.3%)
63 (4.6%)
41 (3.0%)
23 (1.7%)