Appointed March 2016 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch
10 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Elise Manuel earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1983 from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctor in 1987 from Georgetown University Law Center. She served as a staff attorney for the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago from 1987 to 1991 and then held multiple roles at the Board of Immigration Appeals from 1991 to 2016, including attorney-advisor, team leader, senior panel attorney, and temporary board member. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
558
Completions per year
1,675 total
0.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
47.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
4.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
1.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 5 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 42.9% · median $7,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
64.2%
67 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
12.2%⚠
49 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
89.5%⚠
19 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
41 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
81.8%⚠
11 decisions Too few cases
64.2%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 67 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
64.2%
This court
32.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 9% 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 · 66 decisions since 2021
65.2%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 1 decision 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).