Immigration judge

Judge Kelly S. Johnson

Immigration Judge at Louisville, KY

3.7%Grant rate · all years
Kelly S. Johnson3.7%
Court median judge6.4%
National16.6%

EOIR data through Sep 1, 2026 · updated monthly

158
Granted
4,070
Denied
4,228
Total Decided
Snapshot answer

The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 3.7% historical asylum grant rate for Kelly S. Johnson at Louisville, KY, based on 158 grants and 4,070 denials (4,228 decided outcomes).

The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Kelly S. Johnson with Louisville, KY. With an asylum approval rate of 3.7%, this judge is below average compared to the national average. Data sourced from EOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review). Historical listings do not by themselves establish a current assignment.

Community Discussion

DATA

News: Immigration Judge Kelly S. Johnson — public criticism reported

On January 13, 2025, WTVQ reported that attorney Heather Hadi publicly criticized Memphis Immigration Judge Kelly Johnson for denying weather-related motions during a Kentucky winter storm.

Source: https://www.wtvq.com/immigration-attorney-details-frustrations-over-deportation-hearing-in-the-midst-of-a-winter-storm/

This post summarizes publicly reported news and links to the original source. Details may evolve; see the source for specifics.

Have experience with this judge? Open AsylumTracker to reply or read more responses from the community.

How to Interpret These Judge Statistics

Kelly S. Johnson is listed with the Louisville, KY Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 3.7% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.

Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights Mexico (1,012 decided, 3.5% grant rate), Guatemala (874 decided, 1.7% grant rate), and Honduras (452 decided, 2.2% grant rate). Compare these rows with the judge's overall rate because nationality mix can materially change how the headline number should be read.

Grant rate is calculated as granted / (granted + denied). Other procedural outcomes, including terminated, withdrawn, administratively closed, or removed cases, are tracked separately where available and are not treated as asylum grants.

This page is based on public EOIR data last updated 2026-09-01. It is for research and information only, not legal advice.

Read the grant-rate methodology or learn how to read immigration judge statistics.

Nationality Breakdown

NationalityCasesGrant rate
Mexico 1,012 3.5%
Guatemala 874 1.7%
Honduras 452 2.2%
Cuba 248 5.6%
Venezuela 179 2.8%
Nicaragua 140 0.0%
El Salvador 101 4.0%
India 76 5.3%

Yearly Trends

YearCasesGrant rate
2026 1,214 1.6%
2025 1,064 2.1%
2024 478 3.8%
2023 161 21.1%
2022 190 18.4%
2021 31 29.0%
2020 438 1.6%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Judge Kelly S. Johnson's asylum grant rate?

Judge Kelly S. Johnson granted asylum in 3.7% of 4,228 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.

Does Judge Kelly S. Johnson grant asylum more or less often than other judges?

The rate (3.7%) is below the 16.6% national rate. It is a historical average, not a prediction for any one case.

How is this grant rate calculated?

Grants divided by grants plus denials. Terminations, withdrawals and administrative closures are not counted.

Other judges at this court