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 F. James Loprest, Jr. earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1982 from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor in 1989 from the University of Notre Dame Law School. From 1992 to 2010, he served as senior immigration litigation counsel and a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Department of Justice in the Southern District of New York, also holding roles as deputy regional counsel for DHS U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and assistant chief counsel for DHS Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Earlier, he was a litigation associate at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP (1990-1992) and a law clerk to U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer (1989-1990). Judge Loprest is a member of the State Bar of California and the New York State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,188
Completions per year
7,127 total
2.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
17.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
11.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
1.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 17 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
78%
619 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
25.5%
239 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
84.8%
66 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%
64 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
95.7%⚠
23 decisions Too few cases
78%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 619 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
78%
This court
57.3%
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 · 598 decisions since 2021
79.1%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 21 decisions since 2021
47.6%
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).