Appointed February 2023 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
3 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Jonathan Goulding earned a Bachelor of Science in 2002 from Northeastern University and a Juris Doctor in 2005 from Ave Maria School of Law. From 2007 to 2018 he served as an assistant chief counsel and senior attorney with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in Detroit, and concurrently as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan (2008-2018). From 2018 to 2022 he served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
603
Completions per year
3,013 total
1.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
35.8 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
17.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 12 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
50.3%
185 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
3.8%
186 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
10 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
50.3%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 185 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
50.3%
This court
32.4%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 19% 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 · 180 decisions since 2021
51.1%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 5 decisions since 2021
20%
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).