Judge Monte J. Horton
How is this compared?
This judge: 15 of 1,446 (1.0 %) got relief (includes their cases in other courts). The other judges in the court: 124 of 14,162 (0.9 %). 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, 1 got relief. Very few cases end with relief.
3 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 and without an attorney, the share with relief was similar (3.2 % and 0.0 %).
Of their 1,446 decisions, 15 ended with relief, 82 with the case closed, 367 with voluntary departure and 982 with a removal order.
| Outcome | Decisions | % |
|---|---|---|
| Relief | 15 | 1.0 % |
| Case closed | 82 | 5.7 % |
| Voluntary departure | 367 | 25.4 % |
| Removal order | 982 | 67.9 % |
| Decided in absentia | 485 | 33.5 % |
This judge, the court and the nation
With Monte J. Horton, the share of cases with relief is 1.0 %: similar than at the Cleveland court (0.9 %) and lower than nationwide (2.4 %).
With Monte J. Horton, the share of removal orders is 67.9 %: lower than at the Cleveland court (83.6 %) and lower than nationwide (75.6 %).
With Monte J. Horton, the share of cases decided in absentia is 33.5 %: lower than at the Cleveland court (45.2 %) and lower than nationwide (45.3 %).
With Monte J. Horton, the share of people with an attorney is 32.4 %: lower than at the Cleveland court (44.0 %) and lower than nationwide (38.1 %).
Cases with Monte J. Horton take less time than at the Cleveland court: a median of 613 days versus 772.
Compared with other judges
- Ranked 4 of 15 for relief among the judges of their court (1 = most relief).
- Ranked 8 of 15 for cases decided in absentia (1 = most in absentia).
- Ranked 3 of 15 for speed (1 = fastest).
- Grants relief more often than 32 of every 100 judges nationwide (among 850 judges with 50 or more decisions).
Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)
The busiest month was Aug 2026 (170 decisions) and the quietest May 2026 (83).
| Month | Decisions | Relief | In absentia | Vs. prior month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 114 | 1 | 12 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 130 | 1 | 33 | up |
| Nov 2025 | 127 | 1 | 19 | down |
| Dec 2025 | 105 | 1 | 23 | down |
| Jan 2026 | 128 | 0 | 30 | up |
| Feb 2026 | 108 | 0 | 57 | down |
| Mar 2026 | 127 | 1 | 70 | up |
| Apr 2026 | 124 | 1 | 0 | down |
| May 2026 | 83 | 4 | 1 | down |
| Jun 2026 | 110 | 1 | 65 | up |
| Jul 2026 | 120 | 0 | 69 | up |
| Aug 2026 | 170 | 4 | 106 | 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 Monte J. Horton is Mexico (325), followed by Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela and El Salvador. The highest share with relief was for people from El Salvador (2.9 %).
| Country of origin | Decisions | Relief | In absentia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 325 | 0.9 % | 39.1 % |
| Honduras | 225 | 0.0 % | 26.7 % |
| Guatemala | 217 | 0.9 % | 21.2 % |
| Venezuela | 115 | 0.9 % | 52.2 % |
| El Salvador | 70 | 2.9 % | 35.7 % |
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 | 469 | 3.2 % |
| Without an attorney | 977 | 0.0 % |
Where this judge decides
- Cleveland Immigration Court: 1,004 decisions (69.4 %)
- LaSalle Immigration Court: 435 decisions (30.1 %)
- Chelmsford Immigration Court: 5 decisions (0.4 %)
- Detroit Immigration Court: 2 decisions (0.1 %)