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 Stephen Stewart earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1990 from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, a Juris Doctor in 1994 from Southern Illinois University, and a Master of Laws in 2006 from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. Before his appointment, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1995 to 2023 in roles including prosecutor, staff judge advocate, professor of law, and senior appellate military judge, and worked as a civilian legislative counsel attorney for the U.S. Coast Guard (2023-2024).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
136
Completions per year
815 total
16.1%
Detained at decision
share of cases
38.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
6.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
41.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 14 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
1 bond decision Too few cases
$5,000
Median bond when set
1 bonds with amounts
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 100% · median $10,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
5.6%
462 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
4.1%
739 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
20%⚠
20 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
93.3%⚠
45 decisions Too few cases
5.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 462 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
5.6%
This court
12.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 8% 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 · 424 decisions since 2021
5.2%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 38 decisions since 2021
10.5%
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).