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 Kelly B. Lake earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Juris Doctor in 1998 from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles. She was a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County (1999-2007) and later served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Illinois and the U.S. Virgin Islands and in the Criminal Division's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, as well as a legal advisor overseas in Nigeria and Pakistan. She was appointed an immigration judge in March 2019 and is a member of the State Bar of California and the District of Columbia Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,657
Completions per year
9,942 total
3.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
21.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
42.2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
2.6%
Appeals remanded or reversed
39 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.
80%⚠
Bond requests granted
10 bond decisions Too few cases
$7,500
Median bond when set
7 bonds with amounts
12.5%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 80%
Court average 19.4% · 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
28.1%
342 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
12%
591 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
50%⚠
36 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
7 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
91.7%
84 decisions Moderate
28.1%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 342 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
28.1%
This court
28%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 48% 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 · 321 decisions since 2021
28.7%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 21 decisions since 2021
19%
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).