Appointed October 2022 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland(AG inferred from date)
3 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Denise Hunter earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2006 from Wesley College/Delaware State University and a Juris Doctor in 2011 from The George Washington University Law School. Before joining the bench she worked as an attorney with nonprofit and legal aid organizations, including Catholic Charities, Ayuda, Whitman-Walker Health, California Rural Legal Assistance, and AsylumWorks. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
484
Completions per year
2,902 total
4.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
17.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
19.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
5.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 17 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.
16.7%⚠
Bond requests granted
6 bond decisions Too few cases
$5,000
Median bond when set
9 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 16.7%
Court average 50% · median $20,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
78.1%
558 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
13.7%
197 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
80%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
76.7%⚠
30 decisions Too few cases
78.1%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 558 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
78.1%
This court
66%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 5% 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 · 459 decisions since 2021
76%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 99 decisions since 2021
87.9%
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).