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 Melissa Fox earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2010 from Binghamton University and a Juris Doctor in 2013 from St. John's University. She served as an asylum officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Chicago (2017-2020) and as an assistant chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (2020-2026). She was appointed an immigration judge in March 2026 and assigned to the Philadelphia Immigration Court.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
86
Completions per year
432 total
3.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
30.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
34.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
10%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 0 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
12.4%
89 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
2%
147 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
21 decisions Too few cases
12.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 89 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
12.4%
This court
38.3%
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 · 78 decisions since 2021
14.1%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 11 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.
* 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).