Appointed December 2010 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
15 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Steven A. Morley earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1973 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Juris Doctor in 1976 from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He served as a public defender for the Defender Association of Philadelphia (1976-1984) and spent decades in private practice, including as a partner at Morley Surin & Griffin, P.C., while also teaching immigration law at Drexel University, Villanova University School of Law, and Rutgers School of Law, Camden. He was appointed an immigration judge in December 2010 and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
444
Completions per year
1,774 total
0.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
40.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
13.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 16 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
65.5%
145 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
22.1%
104 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
97.7%
86 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
98.1%
52 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
90%⚠
10 decisions Too few cases
65.5%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 145 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
65.5%
This court
38.3%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 9% 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 · 141 decisions since 2021
66%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 4 decisions since 2021
50%
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).