Immigration court · NYC · NY
New York - Federal Plaza Immigration Court
Address
New York - Federal Plaza Immigration Court: 26 Federal Plaza, 12th Floor, Room 1237, New York, NY 10278
Court decisions over 12 months
Decisions 39,100 50 judges
Grants relief 4.5 % Nation 2.4 %
Removal order 84.5 % Nation 75.6 %
Decided in absentia 52.4 % Nation 45.3 %
Had an attorney 44.6 % Nation 38.1 %
How long cases take 30 months 917 days (median)
In plain words
Out of every 100 cases decided in this court, 4 got relief. The vast majority end without relief.
5 of every 10 cases were decided in absentia, without the person at the hearing. Going to your hearing is the most important thing you can do.
With an attorney, 10 of every 100 got relief; without one, 0 of every 100 (9.9 % and 0.1 %).
Of the 39,100 decisions in this court, 1,740 ended with relief, 3,439 with the case closed, 885 with voluntary departure and 33,036 with a removal order.
| Outcome | Decisions | % |
|---|---|---|
| Relief | 1,740 | 4.5 % |
| Case closed | 3,439 | 8.8 % |
| Voluntary departure | 885 | 2.3 % |
| Removal order | 33,036 | 84.5 % |
| Decided in absentia | 20,495 | 52.4 % |
This court and the nation
New York 4.5 %
Nation 2.4 %
New York 52.4 %
Nation 45.3 %
With the New York court, the share of cases with relief is 4.5 %: higher than nationwide (2.4 %).
With the New York court, the share of removal orders is 84.5 %: higher than nationwide (75.6 %).
With the New York court, the share of cases decided in absentia is 52.4 %: higher than nationwide (45.3 %).
With the New York court, the share of people with an attorney is 44.6 %: higher than nationwide (38.1 %).
Cases with the New York court take longer than nationwide: a median of 917 days versus 793.
With and without an attorney
| Decisions | Relief | |
|---|---|---|
| With an attorney | 17,433 | 9.9 % |
| Without an attorney | 21,667 | 0.1 % |
Compared with other courts
- Ranked 14 of 71 courts for relief (1 = most relief).
- Ranked 21 of 71 courts for cases decided in absentia (1 = most in absentia).
Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)
The busiest month was Jul 2026 (5,727 decisions) and the quietest Dec 2025 (2,318).
| Month | Decisions | Relief | In absentia | Vs. prior month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 3,073 | 278 | 1,792 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 3,356 | 256 | 1,801 | up |
| Nov 2025 | 2,602 | 211 | 1,257 | down |
| Dec 2025 | 2,318 | 91 | 1,117 | down |
| Jan 2026 | 2,764 | 89 | 1,261 | up |
| Feb 2026 | 2,593 | 85 | 1,190 | down |
| Mar 2026 | 3,365 | 200 | 1,296 | up |
| Apr 2026 | 2,881 | 96 | 1,221 | down |
| May 2026 | 2,576 | 106 | 1,045 | down |
| Jun 2026 | 4,342 | 114 | 2,817 | up |
| Jul 2026 | 5,727 | 144 | 3,746 | up |
| Aug 2026 | 3,503 | 70 | 1,952 | down |
Months with fewer than 5 decisions are dotted: with so few cases, that month's percentage says little.
Judges at this court
50 judges have this as their main court in the window (6 with limited data). The one who decided the most was Tiesha Peal, with 2,927 decisions.
Sorted by decisions over 12 months. The label compares each judge with the other judges in the court.
| Judge | Decisions | Relief | In absentia | Vs. the court |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judge Tiesha Peal | 2,927 | 1.8 % | 63.7 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Jem C. Sponzo | 2,306 | 1.9 % | 27.2 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Anna C. Little | 2,278 | 7.0 % | 42.0 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Deborah E. Klahr | 2,087 | 1.8 % | 51.9 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Dania Nassar | 1,702 | 5.2 % | 52.0 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Carrie C. Johnson-Papillo | 1,697 | 1.6 % | 30.5 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Cathy Sagesse | 1,623 | 3.8 % | 54.8 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Barbara A. Nelson | 1,477 | 4.4 % | 61.5 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Lucy Baez | 1,423 | 4.3 % | 50.2 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge John Siemietkowski | 1,304 | 4.0 % | 57.3 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Virna A. Wright | 1,304 | 3.1 % | 0.5 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Samuel M. Factor | 1,244 | 4.0 % | 62.8 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Carol A. Crawford | 1,177 | 3.9 % | 75.4 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge John S. Rubenstein | 1,170 | 3.0 % | 46.6 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Jonathan Reingold | 1,148 | 3.8 % | 63.5 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge F. James, JR. Loprest | 1,133 | 5.0 % | 23.5 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Gioia Maiellano | 1,128 | 2.0 % | 77.9 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Dorothy A. Harbeck | 1,092 | 10.6 % | 45.4 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Michael G. Mcfarland | 1,035 | 8.8 % | 7.4 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Donald W., JR. Thompson | 951 | 4.6 % | 53.0 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Lena Golovnin | 872 | 5.2 % | 39.9 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Kyle Dandelet | 861 | 13.0 % | 62.1 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Linda Hristova | 776 | 1.6 % | 35.9 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Amanda Jeannopoulos | 616 | 5.0 % | 57.3 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Christopher Cusmano | 606 | 1.5 % | 77.1 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Frederic G. Leeds | 544 | 10.5 % | 77.4 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Adrien Lee-Lo | 528 | 3.4 % | 83.5 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Jean M. Kilker | 441 | 2.5 % | 72.6 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Cynthia Gordon | 382 | 9.7 % | 32.7 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Randa Zagzoug | 340 | 11.2 % | 66.2 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Evalyn P. Douchy | 330 | 11.2 % | 63.3 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Richard Holloway | 311 | 1.9 % | 63.3 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Lori Adams | 302 | 19.5 % | 61.9 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Theodora N. Kouris | 292 | 9.9 % | 69.2 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Alice Segal | 264 | 9.9 % | 68.9 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Amiena A. Khan | 257 | 6.2 % | 30.7 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Laurie Samuels | 192 | 0.0 % | 63.0 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Lisa Ehrens | 191 | 22.5 % | 67.0 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Maria Lurye | 186 | 20.4 % | 61.8 % | More relief: More relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge James Kitchen | 151 | 0.0 % | 31.1 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Marla Gillman | 141 | 0.7 % | 43.3 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Watson Berich | 105 | 0.0 % | 65.7 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Marion S Mishkin | 76 | 0.0 % | 50.0 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Robert Moskow | 67 | 0.0 % | 62.7 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Toniann Territola | 18 | limited data | limited data | Limited data: Not enough data to compare |
| Judge Vivienne E. Gordon-Uruakpa | 12 | limited data | limited data | Limited data: Not enough data to compare |
| Judge David Kim | 11 | limited data | limited data | Limited data: Not enough data to compare |
| Judge Carmen Rey Caldas | 4 | limited data | limited data | Limited data: Not enough data to compare |
| Judge Raisa Cohen | 2 | limited data | limited data | Limited data: Not enough data to compare |
| Judge Douglas B. Schoppert | 2 | limited data | limited data | Limited data: Not enough data to compare |