Appointed October 2021 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
4 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Lori Adams earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from the University of Oregon and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from New York Law School. From 2018 to 2020, she was director of the Immigration Intervention Project at Sanctuary for Families in New York, and from 2011 to 2018 she was managing attorney at Human Rights First, where she had been a staff attorney from 2006 to 2011. From 2004 to 2006, she served as a judicial law clerk and then attorney advisor at the Executive Office for Immigration Review through the Attorney General's Honors Program. Judge Adams is a member of the New Jersey State Bar and New York State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
985
Completions per year
5,911 total
2.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
26.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
17.8%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 13 appeals — too few
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
100%⚠
Bond requests granted
5 bond decisions Too few cases
$6,000
Median bond when set
4 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 100%
Court average 0% · median $10,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
82.4%
789 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
20.1%
278 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
6.2%⚠
16 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
33.3%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
91.8%⚠
49 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
40%⚠
20 decisions Too few cases
82.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 789 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
82.4%
This court
57.3%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 3% 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 · 761 decisions since 2021
83.4%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 28 decisions since 2021
53.6%
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).