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 Elizabeth A Kessler earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1987 from Columbia University, a Master of Arts in International Relations in 1992 from Yale Graduate School, and a Juris Doctor in 1992 from Yale Law School. From November 2003 to January 2006, she served as deputy associate attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice, and earlier as deputy general counsel at the U.S. Department of Energy. From 1995 to 1999, she served as counsel and then general counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, and she began her career clerking for Judge Richard J. Cardamone on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
748
Completions per year
4,490 total
22.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
12.4 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
18.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
7.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
12.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
96 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.
23.6%
Bond requests granted
72 bond decisions Moderate
$10,000
Median bond when set
22 bonds with amounts
5.9%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 23.6%
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
34.6%
841 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
8.7%
967 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
61.9%⚠
21 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
20%⚠
10 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
60%⚠
15 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
59.3%
118 decisions Moderate
34.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 841 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
34.6%
This court
42%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 37% 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 · 547 decisions since 2021
45.3%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 294 decisions since 2021
14.6%
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).