Appointed January 2020 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General William P. Barr
6 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Susan F. Aikman earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 from Ashland University and a Juris Doctor in 1999 from the University of Toledo College of Law. Before her appointment, she served as a deputy chief counsel and assistant chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas (2015-2019), as an asylum officer, refugee officer, and field office director with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at U.S. and international locations (2005-2015), and as an associate attorney at the Law Offices of David Goren LLC in Silver Spring, Maryland (1999-2005).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
216
Completions per year
433 total
73.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
1.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
9.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
30.6%
Appeals remanded or reversed
36 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.
0%
Bond requests granted
57 bond decisions Moderate
$10,000
Median bond when set
64 bonds with amounts
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 41.7% · 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
14.3%⚠
42 decisions Too few cases
Withholding / CAT
2.5%
80 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
75%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
66.7%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
10 decisions Too few cases
14.3%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 42 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
14.3%
This court
13.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyer⚠represented · 36 decisions since 2021
16.7%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 6 decisions since 2021
0%
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).