The Honorable Immigration Judge Victoria L Ghartey
Orlando, FL Immigration Court
Appointed September 1995 · President Bill Clinton→ Attorney General Janet Reno(AG inferred from date)
30 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Victoria L Ghartey earned a Bachelor of Laws in 1970 from the University of Ghana, a Master of Laws in 1980 from the University of Sydney, and a Juris Doctor in 1986 from Suffolk University Law School. She was appointed as an immigration judge in September 1995, serving at the New York Immigration Court before transferring to the Orlando Immigration Court in June 2003. Before joining the bench she held senior government legal posts in Ghana and Nigeria, worked as an assistant general counsel for the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare, and practiced privately in Boston. She is a member of the Ghana and Massachusetts bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,454
Completions per year
8,724 total
2.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
32.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
23.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
0%
Appeals remanded or reversed
27 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
30.9%
269 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.5%
362 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
52.9%
68 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
85.7%⚠
7 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
92.2%
51 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
93.2%
73 decisions Moderate
30.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 269 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
30.9%
This court
22.4%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 42% 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 · 249 decisions since 2021
32.5%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 20 decisions since 2021
10%
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).