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 Christopher Phan earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1996 from Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, and a Juris Doctor in 1999 from Southern Illinois University. Before his appointment, he served as a judge advocate for the U.S. Navy (2000-2019) and, between 2012 and 2016, as a deputy district attorney in Orange County, California, and a city council member in Garden Grove, California. He holds the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
770
Completions per year
4,620 total
38.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
20.8 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
13.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
12.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
80 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.
40.7%
Bond requests granted
91 bond decisions Moderate
$6,000
Median bond when set
40 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 40.7%
Court average 48.8% · 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
14%
774 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.2%
1,302 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
13.2%
53 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
53.8%⚠
13 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
63%⚠
27 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
79.7%
227 decisions High confidence
14%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 774 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
14%
This court
6.8%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 29% 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 · 750 decisions since 2021
14.4%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 24 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.
* 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).