Appointed March 2019 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Matthew Whitaker
7 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Wynne P Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor in 2005 from Fordham University School of Law. He served as a judicial clerk for U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore in Miami (2006-2007) and as an associate attorney at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP in New York (2005-2006) and Hunton & Williams LLP in Miami (2007-2008). From 2008 to 2019, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
272
Completions per year
1,629 total
1.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
39.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
13.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 15 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.
25%⚠
Bond requests granted
4 bond decisions Too few cases
$3,000
Median bond when set
1 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 25%
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
64%
186 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
16.3%
135 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
76%
50 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
90.5%⚠
21 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
23 decisions Too few cases
64%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 186 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
64%
This court
32.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 10% 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 · 176 decisions since 2021
65.3%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 10 decisions since 2021
40%
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).