Appointed August 2023 · 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 Jody Barilla earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1988 from Ohio State University and a Juris Doctor in 1992 from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She was an associate attorney at Smith & Smith Attorneys from 1992 to 1997 and served as a magistrate at the Lorain County Domestic Relations Court in Elyria, Ohio, from 1997 to 2021, including as court administrator from 2013 to 2021. From 2021 to 2023, she served as court administrator for the Chicago Immigration Court. She is a member of the Ohio State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
672
Completions per year
4,029 total
5.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
14.6 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
25.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
4.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 18 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
46.6%
367 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
3%
364 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
83.3%⚠
30 decisions Too few cases
46.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 367 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
46.6%
This court
45.7%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 23% 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 · 331 decisions since 2021
47.7%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 36 decisions since 2021
36.1%
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).