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 S. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1996 from the University of Missouri and a Juris Doctor in 2000 from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He was in private practice in Knoxville, Tennessee (2001-2010) and served as an assistant chief counsel and deputy chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Port Isabel, Texas (2010-2012) and Lumpkin, Georgia (2012-2018). He was appointed an immigration judge in November 2018 and is a member of the Tennessee Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,482
Completions per year
8,895 total
21.1%
Detained at decision
share of cases
19.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
7.7%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
6.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
6.2%
Appeals remanded or reversed
97 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.
2.8%
Bond requests granted
436 bond decisions High confidence
$12,000
Median bond when set
13 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 2.8%
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
5.6%
444 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
0.5%
823 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
12%
208 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
35.7%⚠
14 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
77.5%
71 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
56.9%
485 decisions High confidence
5.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 444 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
5.6%
This court
28%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 8% 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 · 406 decisions since 2021
6.2%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 38 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).