The Honorable Immigration Judge Matthew Gordon

Sterling, VA Immigration Court
Appointed March 2022 · President Joe Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland
4 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration

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Background

The Honorable Immigration Judge Matthew Gordon earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2002 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from the University of Miami School of Law. His career included government service with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Labor, as well as private immigration practice.

Caseload & process (since 2021)
677
Completions per year
4,063 total
1.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
30.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
28.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
3%
Appeals remanded or reversed
33 appeals decided

Grant rates by type of relief

Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
39.1% 435 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
3.2% 524 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
4.7% 43 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50% 2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
80% 15 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
93.7% 191 decisions Moderate
39.1%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 435 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
39.1%
This court
26.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 31% 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 · 388 decisions since 2021
41.8%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 47 decisions since 2021
17%

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.
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%2019: 0% of 1 decisions0%20192021: 100% of 2 decisions100%20212022: 62.1% of 29 decisions62.1%20222023: 60% of 40 decisions60%20232024: 43.4% of 76 decisions43.4%20242025: 35.6% of 191 decisions35.6%20252026 (partial year): 25.8% of 97 decisions25.8%2026*
* 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).
Sterling, VA · home court
3,903 (96%)
98 (2.4%)
7 (0.17%)
5 (0.12%)
4 (0.10%)
4 (0.10%)