Appointed June 2020 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General William P. Barr
6 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Jeremy J. Butler earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2003 from Cornell College and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from Valparaiso University School of Law. He served as deputy chief of the Civil Division and an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Hawaii (2019-2020), and previously as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Civil Division for the District of Arizona in Tucson (2014-2019). Earlier, he was an assistant attorney general in Arizona's Civil Division (2012-2014), an associate attorney in private practice in Indiana (2008-2011), and a law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (2006-2008). He is a member of the Arizona and Indiana state bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
860
Completions per year
5,159 total
3.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
31.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
21.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
6.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
23.4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
64 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 10%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
70.4%
1,193 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
5.5%
651 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
71.1%⚠
38 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
42.9%⚠
7 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
32 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
89.3%
56 decisions Moderate
70.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,193 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
70.4%
This court
57.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 7% 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 · 1,156 decisions since 2021
72.1%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 37 decisions since 2021
16.2%
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).