The Honorable Immigration Judge Christopher D McNary
Santa Ana, CA Immigration Court
Appointed August 2023 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
3 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Christopher D McNary earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2008 from the University of San Francisco and a Juris Doctor in 2011 from the University of San Francisco School of Law. Before his appointment, he served as an assistant chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles (2018-2023), as a senior asylum officer (2017-2018) and asylum officer (2013-2017) with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and as a staff attorney with East Bay Sanctuary Covenant in Berkeley, California (2011-2013).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
636
Completions per year
3,178 total
1.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
7.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
31.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
9.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
1.8%
Appeals remanded or reversed
56 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
19.3%
451 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
9.6%
583 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
66.7%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
68%⚠
25 decisions Too few cases
19.3%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 451 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
19.3%
This court
19.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 39% 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 · 376 decisions since 2021
21.5%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 75 decisions since 2021
8%
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).