Appointed June 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 Matthew J O'Brien earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1991 from Johns Hopkins University, a Juris Doctor in 1995 from the University of Maine School of Law, and a Master of Arts in 2018 from the Institute of World Politics. He served as director of research at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (2016-2020) and in several roles with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, including supervisory immigration officer (2014-2016) and senior advisor to the USCIS Ombudsman (2011-2014). Earlier, he was an assistant chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (2003-2008), in private practice (1997-2003), and a district adjudications officer with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (1996-1997).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
440
Completions per year
1,319 total
5.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
41.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
9.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
13.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
8.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
59 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.
16.7%⚠
Bond requests granted
12 bond decisions Too few cases
$13,500
Median bond when set
2 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 16.7%
Court average 42.9% · 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
12.4%
249 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.4%
426 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
33.3%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
85.7%⚠
7 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
77.8%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
12.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 249 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
12.4%
This court
32.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 24% 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 · 219 decisions since 2021
14.2%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 30 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.
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).