Appointed February 2017 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch
9 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Steven Caley earned a Bachelor of Arts (1977) from Hanover College and a Juris Doctor (1980) from New York University School of Law. Before his appointment, he worked as a senior attorney for GreenLaw in Atlanta and as a partner at Weissman, Nowack, Curry & Wilco. His earlier career included serving as director of litigation for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and regional director for Legal Aid Services of Oregon.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,622
Completions per year
9,732 total
10.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
18.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
11.9%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
21%
Appeals remanded or reversed
62 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.
80.4%
Bond requests granted
675 bond decisions High confidence
$3,500
Median bond when set
531 bonds with amounts
0.4%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 80.4%
Court average 55.6% · median $2,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
39.2%
628 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
8.5%
756 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
40.7%
59 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
42.9%⚠
21 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
88.9%⚠
18 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
74.8%
202 decisions High confidence
39.2%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 628 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
39.2%
This court
26.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 31% 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 · 510 decisions since 2021
46.3%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 118 decisions since 2021
8.5%
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).