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.
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Joseph C. Scott earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from Rutgers College and a Juris Doctor in 2003 from Rutgers School of Law-Newark. He was an associate attorney at Farmer Case and Fedor in San Diego (2005-2006) and then served with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of the Chief Counsel as assistant chief counsel in Los Angeles (2007-2009), associate legal advisor in the National Security Law Section in Washington, D.C. (2009-2012), and assistant chief counsel in Philadelphia (2012-2020). He was appointed an immigration judge in June 2020 and is a member of the State Bar of California.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,998
Completions per year
11,988 total
2.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
22.4 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
26.5%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
4.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
100 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
36.3%
873 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
3.9%
1,048 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
47.4%
116 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
97.2%
72 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
97.6%
286 decisions High confidence
36.3%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 873 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
36.3%
This court
38.3%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 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 · 802 decisions since 2021
38%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 71 decisions since 2021
16.9%
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).