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 Mary C. Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 and a Juris Doctor in 2009, both from Rutgers University. She served in the U.S. Air Force from 2000 to 2006, including assignments in Georgia, South Korea, Virginia, and Iraq, then clerked for the Superior Court of New Jersey (2009-2010) before serving as assistant chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of the Principal Legal Advisor in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Philadelphia (2010-2019). She was appointed an immigration judge in May 2019 and is a member of the New Jersey and New York Bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
2,354
Completions per year
14,126 total
2.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
25 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
29.7%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
5.6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
10.9%
Appeals remanded or reversed
119 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
34.9%
1,391 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.9%
1,595 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
63.2%
185 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
7 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
94.5%
55 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
97.7%
259 decisions High confidence
34.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,391 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
34.9%
This court
38.3%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 37% 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 · 1,316 decisions since 2021
36.5%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 75 decisions since 2021
6.7%
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).