The Honorable Immigration Judge Kelley N Sydnor

Atlanta — W. Peachtree Street, GA Immigration Court
Appointed November 2018 · President Donald Trump Attorney General Jeff Sessions
7 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration

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▶ Join by WebEx
Dial 1-415-527-5035Access code: 199 192 9503Telephonic access
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.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
967
Completions per year
5,804 total
47.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
16.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
5.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
16.3%
Appeals remanded or reversed
92 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.
39.3%
Bond requests granted
491 bond decisions High confidence
$7,500
Median bond when set
177 bonds with amounts
0.5%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 39.3%
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
7.4% 475 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.6% 899 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
21.4% 42 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
33.3% 3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
77.8% 9 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
92.7% 480 decisions High confidence
7.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 475 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
7.4%
This court
10.8%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 12% 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 · 238 decisions since 2021
9.7%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 237 decisions since 2021
5.1%

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.
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%2018: 20% of 5 decisions20%20182019: 11.9% of 193 decisions11.9%20192020: 14.6% of 41 decisions14.6%20202021: 16.7% of 6 decisions16.7%20212022: 20.2% of 124 decisions20.2%20222023: 9.8% of 41 decisions9.8%20232024: 2.9% of 69 decisions2.9%20242025: 1.8% of 164 decisions1.8%20252026 (partial year): 0% of 71 decisions0%2026*
* 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).
Atlanta, GA · home court
2,288 (39%)
1,462 (25%)
368 (6.3%)
248 (4.3%)
193 (3.3%)
175 (3.0%)