Appointed February 2017 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch
9 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Deborah K Goodwin earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1986 from Wilson College and a Juris Doctor in 2000 from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law. Before her appointment, she served as an associate legal advisor in the District Court Litigation Division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/DHS headquarters in Washington, D.C. (2015-2017), as an associate counsel for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in San Francisco (2007-2015), and as an assistant chief counsel for ICE in San Francisco (2002-2007).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
12
Completions per year
23 total
0%
Detained at decision
share of cases
9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
78.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 18 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
0%⚠
18 decisions Too few cases
Withholding / CAT
0%⚠
33 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
100%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
0%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 18 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
0%
This court
20.2%
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 · 16 decisions since 2021
0%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 2 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).