Appointed January 2020 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General William P. Barr
6 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Marna M Rusher earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Bridgeport in 1972 and a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law in 2001. She served as an assistant district attorney in Middlesex County, Massachusetts (2002-2005), a civil litigation associate at Murphy & Riley P.C. (2005-2007), and an assistant chief counsel in the ICE Office of Chief Counsel in Boston (2007-2019). Attorney General William P. Barr appointed her to the Boston Immigration Court in January 2020.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
234
Completions per year
469 total
0.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
29.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
37.2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
7.5%
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.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
1 bond decision Too few cases
—
Median bond when set
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 26.6% · median $6,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
59.4%
69 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
6%
50 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
25%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
97.1%⚠
35 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
72.7%⚠
11 decisions Too few cases
59.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 69 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
59.4%
This court
45.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 12% 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 · 67 decisions since 2021
58.2%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 2 decisions since 2021
100%
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.
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).