The Honorable Immigration Judge Christopher Stephens
New York — Broadway, NY Immigration Court
Appointed April 2026 · President Donald Trump → Attorney General Pamela Bondi (AG inferred from date)
Less than a year on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Christopher Stephens was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in April 2026. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1989 from Yale University, a Master of Philosophy in 1991 from the University of Oxford, and a Juris Doctor in 1996 from Georgetown University Law Center. From September 2022 to March 2026, he served as a hearing officer at the New York City Housing Authority. From December 2018 to March 2020, he served as a hearing officer at Metro-North Railroad. From March 2016 to December 2018, he served as a workers compensation judge at the New York State Workers Compensation Board. Earlier he served as lead hearing officer at Amtrak in 2015 and as an administrative law judge at the New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings from 2003 to 2013. Judge Stephens is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the New York State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
76
Completions per year
152 total
0.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
30.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
32.7%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
7.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 0 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
| Asylum | |
7.4%⚠ |
27 decisions Too few cases |
| Withholding / CAT | |
6.4%⚠ |
47 decisions Too few cases |
| Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR) | |
0%⚠ |
2 decisions Too few cases |
7.4%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 27 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyer⚠represented · 26 decisions since 2021
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 1 decision since 2021
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).