Appointed November 2018 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Jeff Sessions
7 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Scott D Gambill earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1979 from Washington State University and a Juris Doctor in 1999 from Gonzaga University School of Law. Before his appointment, he served as an assistant chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Francisco (2008-2018), and earlier worked as a staff attorney with the Northwest Justice Project (2004-2008) and Columbia Legal Services (1999-2004) in Spokane, Washington.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
635
Completions per year
3,812 total
28.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
11.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
6.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
4.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
7.2%
Appeals remanded or reversed
166 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
71.9%
655 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.1%
243 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
92.3%⚠
26 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
92.3%⚠
13 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
88.9%⚠
18 decisions Too few cases
71.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 655 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
71.9%
This court
68.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 7% 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 · 575 decisions since 2021
73.9%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 80 decisions since 2021
57.5%
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).