Appointed May 2019 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General William P. Barr
7 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Nicholas R Ford earned a Bachelor of Science in 1985 from Loyola University of Chicago and a Juris Doctor in 1988 from the University of Iowa College of Law. He served as an assistant state's attorney in Cook County, Illinois, from 1988 to 1997 and as a Cook County judge from 1997 to 2019, presiding in the bond court and later in the criminal division. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
137
Completions per year
137 total
0.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
49.8 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
7.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 1 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
67.6%⚠
34 decisions Too few cases
Withholding / CAT
0%⚠
28 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
67.6%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 34 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
67.6%
This court
68.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyer⚠represented · 34 decisions since 2021
67.6%
Without a lawyerunrepresented
no data
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).