Appointed December 2020 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General William P. Barr
5 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Mark K. Brooks earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1982 from Columbia Union College (now Washington Adventist University) and a Juris Doctor in 1986 from the Antioch School of Law. Before his appointment, he served as a special trial attorney with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (2019-2020), and as an immigration officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (2017-2020); he earlier served as an attorney advisor with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (2005-2012) and maintained private litigation practices in Maryland and Washington, D.C. He is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,651
Completions per year
9,907 total
7.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
11.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
22.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
6.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
31 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.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
3 bond decisions Too few cases
$5,000
Median bond when set
1 bonds with amounts
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 29.4% · median $8,250
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
28.5%
449 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
12.4%
647 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
65.5%⚠
29 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
93.1%⚠
29 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
92.1%
101 decisions Moderate
28.5%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 449 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
28.5%
This court
18.7%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 47% 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
33.4%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 66 decisions since 2021
0%
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).