The Honorable Immigration Judge Jerome M. Rothschild Jr.
Santa Ana, CA Immigration Court
Appointed March 2019 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Matthew Whitaker
7 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,078
Completions per year
6,468 total
10.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
10.8 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
20.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
14.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
20%
Appeals remanded or reversed
130 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.
35.4%
Bond requests granted
243 bond decisions High confidence
$5,000
Median bond when set
122 bonds with amounts
1.2%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 35.4%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
16.3%
1,193 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.1%
1,739 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
15.5%
58 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
61.1%⚠
18 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
66.7%⚠
33 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
76.2%
126 decisions Moderate
16.3%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,193 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
16.3%
This court
19.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 34% 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 · 1,040 decisions since 2021
18.2%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 153 decisions since 2021
3.9%
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).