The Honorable Immigration Judge John W Cortes

Phoenix, AZ Immigration Court
Appointed December 2018 · President Donald Trump Attorney General Matthew Whitaker (AG inferred from date)
7 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration

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Source: EOIR — Find an Immigration Court. Recording an internet-based hearing is prohibited (8 C.F.R. § 1003.28). Respondents without a representative default to in-person hearings.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
2,020
Completions per year
12,120 total
7.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
7.8 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
17%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
10.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
23.8%
Appeals remanded or reversed
126 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.
23.6%
Bond requests granted
1,050 bond decisions High confidence
$7,500
Median bond when set
241 bonds with amounts
2%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 23.6%
National 41.9% · median $6,500

Grant rates by type of relief

Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
12% 1,335 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.3% 2,395 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
34.9% 129 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
22.2% 9 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
58.1% 31 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
62.8% 384 decisions High confidence
12%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,335 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
12%
This court
13.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 24% 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 · 1,051 decisions since 2021
14.7%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 284 decisions since 2021
2.1%

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.
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%2019: 32.8% of 323 decisions32.8%20192020: 28.8% of 191 decisions28.8%20202021: 41.7% of 24 decisions41.7%20212022: 17.3% of 52 decisions17.3%20222023: 22.8% of 254 decisions22.8%20232024: 17.6% of 290 decisions17.6%20242025: 6.7% of 463 decisions6.7%20252026 (partial year): 0.4% of 252 decisions0.4%2026*
* 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).
Phoenix, AZ · home court
7,444 (61%)
4,564 (38%)
29 (0.24%)
27 (0.22%)
10 (0.08%)
6 (0.05%)