Appointed October 2010 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
15 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge V. Stuart Couch earned a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University in 1987, a Juris Doctor from Campbell University in 1996, and a Master of Laws from George Washington University Law School in 2008. He served 22 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including as a senior prosecutor with the Department of Defense Office of Military Commissions and as a senior appellate judge on the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, and earlier worked as an assistant district attorney in North Carolina. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. appointed him as an immigration judge in October 2010.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
5
Completions per year
10 total
0%
Detained at decision
share of cases
49.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
60%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 0 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
0%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Withholding / CAT
0%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
0%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
0%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 4 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
0%
This court
45.6%
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 · 4 decisions since 2021
0%
Without a lawyerunrepresented
no data
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).