Appointed October 2018 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Jeff Sessions
7 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Jeffery R Nance earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1985 and a Juris Doctor in 1988 from Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School, and a Master of Laws in 1997 from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. From 1998 to 2018, he served as an attorney, circuit judge, and chief circuit judge with the U.S. Army at numerous domestic and international locations, including Fort Bragg, Fort Leavenworth, Germany, Fort Bliss, Fort Gordon, Baghdad, Italy, and Fort Campbell.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
3,592
Completions per year
21,552 total
1.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
32.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
62.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
4.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
11.4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
184 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.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
1 bond decision Too few cases
—
Median bond when set
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 100% · median $10,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
9.4%
849 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.4%
1,368 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
23.5%
98 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
91.8%
61 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
91.4%
266 decisions High confidence
9.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 849 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
9.4%
This court
12.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 17% 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 · 698 decisions since 2021
11%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 151 decisions since 2021
2%
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).