The Honorable Immigration Judge Stephen F Keane
Concord, CA Immigration Court
Appointed February 2026 · President Donald Trump → Attorney General Pamela Bondi (AG inferred from date)
Less than a year on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Stephen F. Keane earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 from the University of Arizona, a Juris Doctor in 2002 from William and Mary Law School, and a Master of Laws in 2006 from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. He served on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1994 to 2022, retiring as Chief Circuit Judge for the Western Judicial Circuit of the Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary. He subsequently served as a Supervisory Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans' Appeals (2022-2025) and held national security roles for the U.S. Army and for Marine Corps Installations West. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
94
Completions per year
283 total
11.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
25.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
48.2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
24%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 6 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
| Asylum | |
0% |
60 decisions Moderate |
| Withholding / CAT | |
0% |
98 decisions Moderate |
| Voluntary departure | |
100%⚠ |
7 decisions Too few cases |
0%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 60 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
0%100% granted
In the bottom 1% 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 lawyer⚠represented · 46 decisions since 2021
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 14 decisions since 2021
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).