Appointed April 2017 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Jeff Sessions
9 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Ryan R Wood earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from Hamline University, a Juris Doctor in 2004 from Hamline University School of Law, and a Master of Business Administration in 2015 from the Hamline University School of Business. Before his appointment, he served as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Minnesota (2014-2017), as an assistant chief counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Fort Snelling, Minnesota (2009-2014), and as a judge advocate with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps (2005-2009).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
388
Completions per year
2,330 total
4.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
12.6 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
33.7%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
18.2%
Appeals remanded or reversed
22 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.
57.5%⚠
Bond requests granted
40 bond decisions Too few cases
$5,000
Median bond when set
22 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 57.5%
Court average 39.1% · 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
41.3%
92 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
3.8%
105 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
75%⚠
20 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
93.8%⚠
16 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
70.7%⚠
41 decisions Too few cases
41.3%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 92 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
41.3%
This court
16.7%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 29% 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 · 87 decisions since 2021
41.4%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 5 decisions since 2021
40%
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).