Appointed October 1986 · President Ronald Reagan→ Attorney General Edwin Meese III(AG inferred from date)
39 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge John A. Duck Jr. earned a Bachelor of Science in 1972 from Louisiana Tech University and a Juris Doctor in 1975 from Louisiana State University. He maintained a private law practice in Oakdale, Louisiana from 1975 to 1986 and concurrently served as an assistant district attorney in Oberlin, Louisiana from 1978 to 1986. He is a member of the Louisiana Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
538
Completions per year
1,613 total
62.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
1.4 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
1.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
40.9%
Appeals remanded or reversed
22 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.
26.5%
Bond requests granted
697 bond decisions High confidence
$17,000
Median bond when set
179 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 26.5%
Court average 36.4% · 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
17.6%
74 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
1.4%
138 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
33.3%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
66.7%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
56%
50 decisions Moderate
17.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 74 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
17.6%
This court
11.7%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 36% 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 lawyer⚠represented · 33 decisions since 2021
30.3%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 41 decisions since 2021
7.3%
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.
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).