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 Nicholle M Hempel earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1996 from California State University, Fresno and a Juris Doctor in 2000 from Chicago-Kent College of Law. From 2010 to 2021, she served as an assistant chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles. From 2003 to 2010, she served as an assistant state attorney with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in Chicago, and from 1998 to 2003 as a law clerk for the First Municipal District Circuit Court in Chicago. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,374
Completions per year
8,242 total
4.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
17 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
30%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
12.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
96 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.
74.4%⚠
Bond requests granted
43 bond decisions Too few cases
$7,500
Median bond when set
31 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 74.4%
Court average 48.8% · 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
6.6%
591 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.4%
1,047 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
16.7%
60 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
60%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
71.4%⚠
28 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
87.7%
244 decisions High confidence
6.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 591 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
6.6%
This court
6.8%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 11% 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 · 477 decisions since 2021
6.5%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 114 decisions since 2021
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).