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 Phoebe D. Riner earned a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry in 2000 from Asbury College and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from Regent University School of Law. From 2007 to 2025 she served in a range of roles, including chemical patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps, prosecutor in a Kentucky Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, patent attorney in private practice in Kentucky, law clerk to the Honorable Judge Bruggink of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and senior appropriations and intellectual property attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor. She is a member of the State Bar of Kentucky and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent bar. Judge Riner served as a temporary immigration judge at the Sterling Immigration Court from October 2025 to April 2026 and was appointed an immigration judge in May 2026, as part of the class of 77 immigration judges invested by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. This profile was compiled through independent primary-source research drawing on EOIR's class-of-77 biographical release, because a standard individual biography was not published on EOIR's website, which is uncommon. (Assignment note: EOIR's May 2026 announcement listed her home court as Memphis/Louisville, and she does not currently appear on EOIR's online court locator; the court shown here - Lumpkin/Stewart - is where the case records show she has been deciding cases in volume.)
Caseload & process (since 2021)
59
Completions per year
177 total
93.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
3.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
16.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 3 appeals — too few
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
3 bond decisions Too few cases
—
Median bond when set
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 38.5% · median $5,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
0%⚠
47 decisions Too few cases
Withholding / CAT
2.2%
92 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
15.8%⚠
38 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
33.3%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
92.9%
70 decisions Moderate
0%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 47 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
0%
This court
19.5%
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 · 25 decisions since 2021
0%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 22 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).