Atlanta — W. Peachtree Street, GA Immigration Court
Appointed October 2019 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General William P. Barr
6 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Joseph S Imburgia earned a Bachelor of Science in 1994 from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a Juris Doctor in 2002 from the University of Tennessee College of Law, and a Master of Laws in 2009 from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. From 2002 to 2019 he served as an attorney and military judge with the U.S. Air Force at numerous domestic and overseas locations, including as chief circuit military judge for the Pacific Circuit, retiring as a colonel.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,034
Completions per year
6,205 total
11.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
32.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
40.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
32.4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
68 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.
56.5%⚠
Bond requests granted
46 bond decisions Too few cases
$7,500
Median bond when set
28 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 56.5%
Court average 0%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
21.4%
168 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
7.7%
261 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
64.5%
62 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
40%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
75%⚠
24 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
64.8%
88 decisions Moderate
21.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 168 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
21.4%
This court
10.8%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 43% 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 · 144 decisions since 2021
25%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 24 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).