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 Kassell earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2008 from the College of New Jersey and a Juris Doctor in 2011 from Rutgers Law School. From 2021 to 2022, he served as a senior legal advisor to the Chief Appellate Immigration Judge at the Board of Immigration Appeals, and from 2015 to 2021 he was an attorney advisor with the Board of Immigration Appeals. He entered federal service through the Attorney General's Honors Program, serving as a judicial law clerk at the Board of Immigration Appeals (2013-2015) and at the Eloy Immigration Court (2011-2013). He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
440
Completions per year
2,638 total
38.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
22.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
16.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
13.3%
Appeals remanded or reversed
75 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.
51.3%
Bond requests granted
234 bond decisions High confidence
$6,000
Median bond when set
113 bonds with amounts
0.8%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 51.3%
Court average 14.9% · median $7,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
8.7%
519 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
3%
947 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
13.3%⚠
45 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
42.9%⚠
14 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
43.8%⚠
16 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
61.2%
201 decisions High confidence
8.7%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 519 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
8.7%
This court
32.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 15% 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 · 429 decisions since 2021
10.5%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 90 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.
* 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).