The Honorable Immigration Judge Elizabeth Kohler Maya
Baltimore, MD Immigration Court
Appointed November 2023 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland(AG inferred from date)
2 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Elizabeth Kohler Maya earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 from the College of Mount Saint Vincent and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School. From 2002 to 2003, she served as a judicial law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Glen E. Conrad in the Western District of Virginia. From 2003 to 2011, she practiced immigration law with the Law Offices of Richard S. Bromberg, and from 2011 to 2023 she practiced immigration law and served as managing partner at Bromberg, Kohler Maya & Petre PLLC. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Virginia State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
628
Completions per year
3,765 total
2.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
13.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
35%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 14 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
39.9%
343 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
10.8%
399 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
14.3%⚠
7 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
88.9%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
98.2%
55 decisions Moderate
39.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 343 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
39.9%
This court
32.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 30% 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 · 316 decisions since 2021
42.4%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 27 decisions since 2021
11.1%
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).