The Honorable Immigration Judge Richard M Zanfardino
Portland, OR Immigration Court No longer hearing cases at this court
Appointed September 2016 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch
9 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Richard M Zanfardino earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees (1989 and 1990) from North Carolina State University and a Juris Doctor (1996) from the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America. Before his appointment, he served as an attorney advisor for the Board of Immigration Appeals at EOIR (1997-2006) and as a trial attorney for the Office of Immigration Litigation, DOJ (2006-2016).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
428
Completions per year
1,713 total
0.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
39.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
11.2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
6.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
15%
Appeals remanded or reversed
20 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.
100%⚠
Bond requests granted
1 bond decision Too few cases
$2,500
Median bond when set
1 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 100%
Court average 55.6% · median $2,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
33.5%
158 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
2.8%
215 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
87.5%⚠
40 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
83.3%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
37 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
19 decisions Too few cases
33.5%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 158 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
33.5%
This court
26.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 39% 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 · 143 decisions since 2021
37.1%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 15 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.
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).