Appointed November 2023 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
2 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Davene Walker earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2002 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor in 2005 from the University of Virginia School of Law. From 2015 to 2023, she served as a trial attorney and then senior attorney with the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. From 2012 to 2015, she was an assistant city attorney for the City of Atlanta, and earlier she practiced at Smith, Gambrell & Russell and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in Atlanta.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
412
Completions per year
2,060 total
0.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
9.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
28%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
6.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 0 appeals — too few
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
1 bond decision Too few cases
—
Median bond when set
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 25.5% · median $10,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
47.6%
334 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
23.4%
337 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
10 decisions Too few cases
47.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 334 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
47.6%
This court
42%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 22% 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 · 309 decisions since 2021
50.8%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 25 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).