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 Lakshmi Herman earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1992 from Pacific University and a Juris Doctor in 2000 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Before her appointment, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey in Newark (2008-2020) and worked as a litigation associate at Dechert LLP (2005-2008) and Shearman & Sterling LLP (2000-2005) in New York.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,600
Completions per year
9,602 total
1.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
20.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
20.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
4.2%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
15.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
129 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
14.5%
408 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
4.4%
734 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
20%⚠
20 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
60%⚠
45 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
92.3%⚠
39 decisions Too few cases
14.5%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 408 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
14.5%
This court
20.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 30% 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 · 383 decisions since 2021
13.8%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 25 decisions since 2021
24%
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).