Judge David C. Koelsch
How is this compared?
This judge: 5 of 72 (6.9 %) got relief. The other judges in the court: 153 of 8,788 (1.7 %). 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, 7 got relief. Even so, most end without relief.
0 of every 100 cases were decided in absentia, that is, without the person at the hearing.
There are not enough cases with and without an attorney to compare them.
Of their 72 decisions, 5 ended with relief, 65 with the case closed, 0 with voluntary departure and 2 with a removal order.
| Outcome | Decisions | % |
|---|---|---|
| Relief | 5 | 6.9 % |
| Case closed | 65 | 90.3 % |
| Voluntary departure | 0 | 0.0 % |
| Removal order | 2 | 2.8 % |
| Decided in absentia | 0 | 0.0 % |
This judge, the court and the nation
With David C. Koelsch, the share of cases with relief is 6.9 %: higher than at the Detroit court (1.8 %) and higher than nationwide (2.4 %).
With David C. Koelsch, the share of removal orders is 2.8 %: lower than at the Detroit court (68.6 %) and lower than nationwide (75.6 %).
With David C. Koelsch, the share of cases decided in absentia is 0.0 %: lower than at the Detroit court (19.7 %) and lower than nationwide (45.3 %).
With David C. Koelsch, the share of people with an attorney is 41.7 %: higher than at the Detroit court (39.0 %) and higher than nationwide (38.1 %).
Cases with David C. Koelsch take less time than at the Detroit court: a median of 564 days versus 610.
Compared with other judges
- Ranked 1 of 14 for relief among the judges of their court (1 = most relief).
- Ranked 11 of 14 for cases decided in absentia (1 = most in absentia).
- Ranked 4 of 14 for speed (1 = fastest).
- Grants relief more often than 88 of every 100 judges nationwide (among 850 judges with 50 or more decisions).
Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)
The busiest month was Feb 2026 (20 decisions) and the quietest May 2026 (0).
| Month | Decisions | Relief | In absentia | Vs. prior month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 10 | 0 | 0 | up |
| Nov 2025 | 5 | 0 | 0 | down |
| Dec 2025 | 8 | 5 | 0 | up |
| Jan 2026 | 11 | 0 | 0 | up |
| Feb 2026 | 20 | 0 | 0 | up |
| Mar 2026 | 11 | 0 | 0 | down |
| Apr 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | down |
| May 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 | down |
| Jun 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 | same |
| Jul 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | up |
| Aug 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | same |
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 David C. Koelsch is Cuba (53). The highest share with relief was for people from Cuba (0.0 %).
| Country of origin | Decisions | Relief | In absentia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuba | 53 | 0.0 % | 0.0 % |
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 | limited data | — |
| Without an attorney | limited data | — |
Where this judge decides
- Detroit Immigration Court: 72 decisions (100.0 %)