Judge Richard C. Jacobs
How is this compared?
This judge: 17 of 1,704 (1.0 %) got relief (includes their cases in other courts). The other judges in the court: 283 of 62,354 (0.4 %). 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.
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 and without an attorney, the share with relief was similar (3.6 % and 0.1 %).
Of their 1,704 decisions, 17 ended with relief, 21 with the case closed, 259 with voluntary departure and 1,407 with a removal order.
| Outcome | Decisions | % |
|---|---|---|
| Relief | 17 | 1.0 % |
| Case closed | 21 | 1.2 % |
| Voluntary departure | 259 | 15.2 % |
| Removal order | 1,407 | 82.6 % |
| Decided in absentia | 887 | 52.1 % |
This judge, the court and the nation
With Richard C. Jacobs, the share of cases with relief is 1.0 %: higher than at the Dallas court (0.4 %) and lower than nationwide (2.4 %).
With Richard C. Jacobs, the share of removal orders is 82.6 %: lower than at the Dallas court (87.0 %) and higher than nationwide (75.6 %).
With Richard C. Jacobs, the share of cases decided in absentia is 52.1 %: lower than at the Dallas court (72.2 %) and higher than nationwide (45.3 %).
With Richard C. Jacobs, the share of people with an attorney is 25.9 %: higher than at the Dallas court (21.9 %) and lower than nationwide (38.1 %).
Cases with Richard C. Jacobs take less time than at the Dallas court: a median of 685 days versus 926.
Compared with other judges
- Ranked 13 of 31 for relief among the judges of their court (1 = most relief).
- Ranked 18 of 31 for cases decided in absentia (1 = most in absentia).
- Ranked 2 of 31 for speed (1 = fastest).
- Grants relief more often than 31 of every 100 judges nationwide (among 850 judges with 50 or more decisions).
Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)
The busiest month was Apr 2026 (432 decisions) and the quietest Jan 2026 (57).
| Month | Decisions | Relief | In absentia | Vs. prior month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 72 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 103 | 3 | 0 | up |
| Nov 2025 | 59 | 4 | 0 | down |
| Dec 2025 | 94 | 4 | 0 | up |
| Jan 2026 | 57 | 0 | 0 | down |
| Feb 2026 | 83 | 0 | 0 | up |
| Mar 2026 | 76 | 1 | 17 | down |
| Apr 2026 | 432 | 1 | 398 | up |
| May 2026 | 245 | 0 | 177 | down |
| Jun 2026 | 105 | 0 | 52 | down |
| Jul 2026 | 165 | 0 | 97 | up |
| Aug 2026 | 213 | 2 | 146 | 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 Richard C. Jacobs is Venezuela (459), followed by Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia. The highest share with relief was for people from Guatemala (0.7 %).
| Country of origin | Decisions | Relief | In absentia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venezuela | 459 | 0.0 % | 72.8 % |
| Mexico | 447 | 0.4 % | 48.1 % |
| Honduras | 233 | 0.0 % | 45.9 % |
| Guatemala | 144 | 0.7 % | 35.4 % |
| Colombia | 75 | 0.0 % | 50.7 % |
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 | 442 | 3.6 % |
| Without an attorney | 1,262 | 0.1 % |
Where this judge decides
- Dallas Immigration Court: 1,187 decisions (69.7 %)
- LaSalle Immigration Court: 372 decisions (21.8 %)
- Oakdale Immigration Court: 143 decisions (8.4 %)
- Denver Immigration Court: 2 decisions (0.1 %)