Appointed May 2019 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General William P. Barr
7 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Teresa L Riley earned a Bachelor of Science in 1997 from the University of Akron and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from the University of Akron School of Law. From 2009 to 2019, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Ohio, in both Cleveland and Akron, concluding as attorney-in-charge of the criminal division of the Akron Branch Office. She earlier served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Cuyahoga County (2008-2009), a senior law clerk in the U.S. District Court (2003-2008), and a law clerk and judicial attorney for a state court judge (1999-2003). She is a member of the Ohio Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
761
Completions per year
4,566 total
2.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
19.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
36%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
11.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
124 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
13.8%
516 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
0.7%
913 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
22.9%
83 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
73.3%⚠
30 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
94.6%
111 decisions Moderate
13.8%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 516 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
13.8%
This court
19.3%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 29% 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 · 469 decisions since 2021
15.1%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 47 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.
* 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).