Appointed October 2025 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Pamela Bondi
Less than a year on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Joshua Hawkes earned a Bachelor of Science in 2003 from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Master of Engineering in 2004 from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Juris Doctor in 2014 from the Florida State University College of Law. Before his appointment, he served as a circuit judge in Florida (2020-2025), in private practice (2014-2020), and as an active-duty and reserve naval officer since 2003, serving as a submarine officer and judge advocate.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
122
Completions per year
244 total
94.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
3.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
41.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 4 appeals — too few
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 39.6% · median $6,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
2.8%
72 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
0.6%
170 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
42 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
75%⚠
8 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
78.8%⚠
33 decisions Too few cases
2.8%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 72 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
2.8%
This court
19.8%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 4% 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 · 68 decisions since 2021
2.9%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 4 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).