The Honorable Immigration Judge Clay Nelson Martin
San Antonio, TX Immigration Court
Appointed June 2016 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch
10 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Clay Nelson Martin earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1984 from Hendrix College and a Juris Doctor in 1987 from St. Mary's University School of Law. Before his appointment he was a senior attorney in the Office of the Chief Counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (2008-2016), and an assistant chief counsel (2002-2007). Earlier he served as chief deputy prosecuting attorney for the 18th West Judicial District in Arkansas (1995-2002) and as an assistant district attorney for the Bexar County District Attorney's Office in San Antonio (1992-1995).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,091
Completions per year
6,545 total
1.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
32.4 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
32.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.1%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
41.3%
Appeals remanded or reversed
46 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
37.4%
195 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
7.1%
255 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
20%⚠
40 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
97.9%⚠
47 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
94.1%⚠
34 decisions Too few cases
37.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 195 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
37.4%
This court
30.7%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 32% 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 · 183 decisions since 2021
39.9%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 12 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.
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).