The Honorable Immigration Judge Theodore Doolittle
Hartford, CT Immigration Court
Appointed November 2023 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
2 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Theodore Doolittle earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1986 from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor in 1992 from the University of Connecticut School of Law. From 2017 to 2023 he served as the Healthcare Advocate for the State of Connecticut, and earlier held roles including first deputy director for policy and enforcement at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (2011-2014) and assistant attorney general in Connecticut (2001-2008). He began his career as a law clerk to Judge James T. Turner of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and Judge Roger L. Wollman of the Eighth Circuit, and served as a trial attorney in the DOJ Tax Division (1995-2001). He is a member of the Connecticut Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
856
Completions per year
5,138 total
1.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
14.6 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
21.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
3.6%
Appeals remanded or reversed
28 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
50.4%
248 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
29.9%
254 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
31 decisions Too few cases
50.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 248 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
50.4%
This court
32.4%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 19% 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 · 232 decisions since 2021
51.7%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 16 decisions since 2021
31.2%
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).