Appointed October 2005 · President George W. Bush→ Attorney General Alberto Gonzales(AG inferred from date)
20 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Thomas G Snow earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1977 from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Arts in 1980 and a Juris Doctor in 1982 from the University of Virginia. He served as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division's voting section (1982-1984) and in the Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division (1984-1989) at the Department of Justice, and as an attorney advisor at the U.S. Department of State (1989). From 1991 to 2005, he was principal deputy director for the Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division, and taught as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Virginia (1995-2005).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
109
Completions per year
327 total
0.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
68.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
8.6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 2 appeals — too few
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
100%⚠
Bond requests granted
1 bond decision Too few cases
$7,500
Median bond when set
1 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 100%
Court average 42.9% · median $7,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
52.9%
104 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
8%
87 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
70%⚠
10 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
12 decisions Too few cases
52.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 104 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
52.9%
This court
32.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 16% 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 · 95 decisions since 2021
57.9%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 9 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).