Appointed August 2017 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Jeff Sessions
9 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Patrick S O'Brien earned a Bachelor of Science in 1995 from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and a Juris Doctor in 2000 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. From 2001 to 2017 he served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps in roles including trial counsel, trial defense counsel, special assistant U.S. attorney, and brigade judge advocate, and from 2009 to 2017 he served as an assistant chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Francisco. He is a member of the State Bar of California.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
988
Completions per year
5,925 total
2.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
19.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
13.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
10.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
8.7%
Appeals remanded or reversed
69 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
47.5%
1,117 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
6.8%
1,025 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
44.4%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Voluntary departure
86.8%⚠
38 decisions Too few cases
47.5%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,117 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
47.5%
This court
68.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 22% 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 · 1,058 decisions since 2021
49.3%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 59 decisions since 2021
15.3%
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).