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 Margaret Kolbe earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1987 and a Master of Arts in 1989, both from the University of Cincinnati, and a Juris Doctor in 1996 from Notre Dame Law School. She served as an attorney advisor for the Board of Immigration Appeals from 1996 to 2002 and as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn from 2002 to 2015. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Gabon from 1991 to 1993. Judge Kolbe is a member of the Ohio Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
948
Completions per year
5,690 total
7.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
21.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
14.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
5.6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
29.4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
119 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.
48.2%
Bond requests granted
224 bond decisions High confidence
$9,000
Median bond when set
105 bonds with amounts
2.8%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 48.2%
Court average 35.8% · median $7,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
57.8%
688 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
16.1%
521 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
53.2%
62 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
68.8%⚠
16 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
82.1%⚠
28 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
93.3%
105 decisions Moderate
57.8%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 688 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
57.8%
This court
37.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 14% 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 · 667 decisions since 2021
58%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 21 decisions since 2021
52.4%
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).