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 David C Whipple earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1991 and a Master of Arts in 1995 from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor in 2007 from the University of Idaho College of Law. From March 2016 to April 2017, he served as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Arizona, and from October 2009 to April 2017 he served as an assistant chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Eloy and Florence, Arizona. From May 2007 to October 2009, he was a deputy prosecuting attorney for Kootenai County, Idaho. He is a member of the Idaho State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,244
Completions per year
7,464 total
1.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
20.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
41.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
6.6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
81.2%
Appeals remanded or reversed
239 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.
100%⚠
Bond requests granted
3 bond decisions Too few cases
$7,500
Median bond when set
3 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 100%
Court average 37.1% · median $10,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
41%
188 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
7.8%
230 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
50%⚠
18 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
84.2%⚠
19 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
97.1%
70 decisions Moderate
41%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 188 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
41%
This court
19.3%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 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 · 181 decisions since 2021
42.5%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 7 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).