Appointed April 2021 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
5 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Megan B Herndon earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from Occidental College and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from the University of San Diego School of Law. From 2013 to 2021 she held senior roles with the Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Visa Services, including deputy director of legal affairs and chief of the Legislation and Regulations Division. From 2002 to 2013 she served in several assistant chief counsel and appellate counsel positions with the ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, entering through the Attorney General's Honors Program. She was appointed an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
185
Completions per year
924 total
0.4%
Detained at decision
share of cases
37 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
11.5%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
9.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
18.2%
Appeals remanded or reversed
22 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
1 bond decision Too few cases
—
Median bond when set
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 50%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
44.9%
185 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
8.2%
233 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
56.5%⚠
23 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
96.8%⚠
31 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
72.7%⚠
11 decisions Too few cases
44.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 185 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
44.9%
This court
26.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 25% 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 · 177 decisions since 2021
46.9%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 8 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).