Appointed October 2010 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
15 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Leo A Finston received a Bachelor of Arts in 1988 from the City University of New York and a Juris Doctorate in 1991 from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. From 1992 to 1997 he served as an asylum officer for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in Newark, and from 1997 to October 2010 as an assistant chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Newark, New Jersey. He is a member of the New Jersey and New York State Bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,651
Completions per year
9,905 total
13.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
28.6 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
13.2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
23.3%
Appeals remanded or reversed
103 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.
63.2%
Bond requests granted
220 bond decisions High confidence
$7,500
Median bond when set
146 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 63.2%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
46.2%
651 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
8.5%
540 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
76.9%
143 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
70.6%⚠
17 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
87.3%
79 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
93.3%
345 decisions High confidence
46.2%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 651 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
46.2%
This court
19.9%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 23% 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 · 561 decisions since 2021
50.3%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 90 decisions since 2021
21.1%
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.
* 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).