Appointed February 2023 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
3 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Meghan E Heesch earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2007 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Juris Doctor in 2012 from Harvard Law School. She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2015 to 2022, worked as a clinical teaching fellow from 2013 to 2015, and entered federal service through the Attorney General's Honors Program.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
665
Completions per year
3,990 total
18.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
3.6 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
10.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
5.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
8.1%
Appeals remanded or reversed
37 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.
70.7%
Bond requests granted
215 bond decisions High confidence
$3,000
Median bond when set
151 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 70.7%
Court average 0%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
25.7%
288 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
11%
410 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
11.1%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
70.6%
109 decisions Moderate
25.7%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 288 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
25.7%
This court
37%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 49% 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 · 254 decisions since 2021
27.2%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 34 decisions since 2021
14.7%
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).