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 Gina Reynolds earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from the University of Pittsburgh and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from the University of Notre Dame Law School. From 2009 to 2022, she was an attorney and later partner at Hernandez & Reynolds LLC in Chicago, and she maintained a private practice in Chicago from 2006 to 2008. She also completed a clerkship at the Notre Dame Legal Aid Immigration & Asylum Clinic. She is a member of the Illinois and New York State Bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,792
Completions per year
10,754 total
2.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
18.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
35.7%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
4.2%
Appeals remanded or reversed
24 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
62.6%
855 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
3.2%
497 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
20%⚠
10 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
7 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
19 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
99.3%
138 decisions Moderate
62.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 855 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
62.6%
This court
45.7%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 10% 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 · 804 decisions since 2021
64.4%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 51 decisions since 2021
33.3%
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).