Appointed September 2017 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Jeff Sessions
8 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Bridget Virchis earned a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University in 1996 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California Law School in 2002. Before joining the bench, she served as an attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of the Solicitor, Division of Indian Affairs (2002-2006), and as an associate legal advisor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington, D.C. (2006-2008). She then worked for ICE in Los Angeles as an assistant chief counsel (2008-2010) and as a senior attorney (2010-2017). She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
871
Completions per year
4,354 total
1.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
19.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
19.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
38.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
26 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
32.2%
270 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
6%
331 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
77.4%
115 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
83.3%⚠
12 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
90.7%
54 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
92.9%⚠
14 decisions Too few cases
32.2%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 270 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
32.2%
This court
32.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 41% 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 · 258 decisions since 2021
33.3%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 12 decisions since 2021
8.3%
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.
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).