Appointed February 2018 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Jeff Sessions
8 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Cory M Picton earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 from Dominican University and a Juris Doctor in 2000 from Saint Louis University School of Law. From 2001 to 2018 he served in the U.S. Marine Corps in various roles, including civil law attorney and defense counsel at Camp Pendleton, California, and government prosecutor in Norfolk, Virginia, and he also served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona in Tucson. He is a member of the Missouri State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
165
Completions per year
165 total
0%
Detained at decision
share of cases
51.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
13.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 1 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
42.5%⚠
40 decisions Too few cases
Withholding / CAT
8.7%⚠
46 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
100%⚠
20 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
75%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
42.5%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 40 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
42.5%
This court
68.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyer⚠represented · 40 decisions since 2021
42.5%
Without a lawyerunrepresented
no data
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).