Appointed October 2021 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland(AG inferred from date)
4 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Louis A Gordon earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1985 from Brandeis University, a Juris Doctor in 1989 from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and a Doctor of Philosophy in 2010 from the University of Southern California. From 1995 to 2021 he practiced immigration law with the Law Offices of Louis A. Gordon in Pasadena and Los Angeles, California. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the New Jersey State Bar, and the Pennsylvania Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
934
Completions per year
5,607 total
1.1%
Detained at decision
share of cases
47.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
16.2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 12 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
82.6%
1,180 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
8.8%
377 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
76.9%⚠
13 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
80%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
36 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
86%
50 decisions Moderate
82.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,180 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
82.6%
This court
68.2%
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 · 1,164 decisions since 2021
83.2%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 16 decisions since 2021
37.5%
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).