Judge Donald R., JR. Eller
How is this compared?
This judge: 19 of 911 (2.1 %) got relief (includes their cases in other courts). The other judges in the court: 1,156 of 45,176 (2.6 %). We say "more" or "less" only when the difference is statistically clear (two-proportion test, 95%); otherwise "similar".
Decisions over 12 months
In plain words
Out of every 100 cases this judge decided, 2 got relief. The vast majority end without relief.
23 of every 100 cases were decided in absentia, that is, without the person at the hearing.
With and without an attorney, the share with relief was similar (2.7 % and 0.4 %).
Of their 911 decisions, 19 ended with relief, 13 with the case closed, 70 with voluntary departure and 809 with a removal order.
| Outcome | Decisions | % |
|---|---|---|
| Relief | 19 | 2.1 % |
| Case closed | 13 | 1.4 % |
| Voluntary departure | 70 | 7.7 % |
| Removal order | 809 | 88.8 % |
| Decided in absentia | 206 | 22.6 % |
This judge, the court and the nation
With Donald R., JR. Eller, the share of cases with relief is 2.1 %: similar than at the Chicago court (2.5 %) and similar than nationwide (2.4 %).
With Donald R., JR. Eller, the share of removal orders is 88.8 %: higher than at the Chicago court (88.0 %) and higher than nationwide (75.6 %).
With Donald R., JR. Eller, the share of cases decided in absentia is 22.6 %: lower than at the Chicago court (69.0 %) and lower than nationwide (45.3 %).
With Donald R., JR. Eller, the share of people with an attorney is 73.0 %: higher than at the Chicago court (23.8 %) and higher than nationwide (38.1 %).
Cases with Donald R., JR. Eller take about the same as at the Chicago court: a median of 904 days versus 873.
Compared with other judges
- Ranked 16 of 27 for relief among the judges of their court (1 = most relief).
- Ranked 24 of 27 for cases decided in absentia (1 = most in absentia).
- Ranked 20 of 27 for speed (1 = fastest).
- Grants relief more often than 51 of every 100 judges nationwide (among 850 judges with 50 or more decisions).
Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)
The busiest month was May 2026 (168 decisions) and the quietest Oct 2025 (37).
| Month | Decisions | Relief | In absentia | Vs. prior month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 61 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 37 | 2 | 0 | down |
| Nov 2025 | 55 | 0 | 4 | up |
| Dec 2025 | 49 | 2 | 5 | down |
| Jan 2026 | 85 | 3 | 5 | up |
| Feb 2026 | 105 | 1 | 3 | up |
| Mar 2026 | 86 | 1 | 4 | down |
| Apr 2026 | 108 | 4 | 48 | up |
| May 2026 | 168 | 2 | 117 | up |
| Jun 2026 | 50 | 2 | 17 | down |
| Jul 2026 | 53 | 2 | 1 | up |
| Aug 2026 | 54 | 0 | 2 | up |
Months with fewer than 5 decisions are dotted: with so few cases, that month's percentage says little.
By nationality
The nationality with the most decisions before Donald R., JR. Eller is Venezuela (230), followed by Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia and Honduras. The highest share with relief was for people from Mexico (1.9 %).
| Country of origin | Decisions | Relief | In absentia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venezuela | 230 | 1.3 % | 17.8 % |
| Nicaragua | 117 | 1.7 % | 62.4 % |
| Mexico | 106 | 1.9 % | 27.4 % |
| Colombia | 84 | 0.0 % | 10.7 % |
| Honduras | 55 | 0.0 % | 21.8 % |
Only countries with 25 or more decisions with this judge; cases without a recorded nationality are not included.
With and without an attorney
| Decisions | Relief | |
|---|---|---|
| With an attorney | 665 | 2.7 % |
| Without an attorney | 246 | 0.4 % |
Where this judge decides
- Chicago Immigration Court: 787 decisions (86.4 %)
- Oakdale Immigration Court: 87 decisions (9.6 %)
- LaSalle Immigration Court: 14 decisions (1.5 %)
- Fort Snelling Immigration Court: 11 decisions (1.2 %)
- Dallas Immigration Court: 7 decisions (0.8 %)
- Conroe Immigration Court: 5 decisions (0.5 %)