Appointed April 1997 · President Bill Clinton→ Attorney General Janet Reno(AG inferred from date)
29 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Joseph Dierkes earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1974 from Rockhurst College and a Juris Doctor in 1977 from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Before his appointment, he served as assistant district counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Kansas City (1987-1997), maintained a private practice in St. Louis (1978-1987), and clerked for Judge Donald B. Clark of the Jackson County Circuit Court (1977-1978). He is a member of the Missouri and Illinois Bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
114
Completions per year
456 total
0.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
65 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
1.5%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
33.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
33.3%
Appeals remanded or reversed
42 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.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
1 bond decision Too few cases
—
Median bond when set
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 39.1% · median $5,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
34.7%
193 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
1.1%
264 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
97.7%
88 decisions Moderate
34.7%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 193 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
34.7%
This court
16.7%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 37% 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 · 187 decisions since 2021
35.8%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 6 decisions since 2021
0%
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).