The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 18.9% historical asylum grant rate for Leo A. Finston at Newark, NJ, based on 1,197 grants and 5,145 denials (6,342 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Leo A. Finston with Newark, NJ. With an asylum approval rate of 18.9%, this judge is 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
DATAAsylumTracker Data
Judge Finston (Newark, NJ) data snapshot: Cuba vs Guatemala grant rates differ 4×, overall rate fell from 39% to 8% in 3 years
A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Finston, Leo A. (IJ code LAF, Newark, NJ):
Overall track record
32 years on the bench (since 1995), 8,579 cases total, lifetime grant rate 19.1%
Last 3 years (2023–2026): 3,029 cases, grant rate 23.4% — 11.8pp above the Newark court average (11.6%)
Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)
Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Guatemala 488 8.9%
Ecuador 291 24.2%
Honduras 253 16.7%
Cuba 249 37.5%
Brazil 189 12.6%
Mexico 174 37.0%
Peru 155 13.9%
Colombia 154 11.8%
El Salvador 154 21.3%
Dominican Republic 113 12.3%
Venezuela 99 29.4%
Cuba applicants see a 37.5% grant rate versus 8.9% for Guatemala applicants — a 4.2× gap on this judge's docket.
Year-by-year
2023: 693 cases, 39.3% grant rate
2024: 778 cases, 26.0% grant rate
2025: 829 cases, 22.5% grant rate
2026: 729 cases, 8.2% grant rate
If you've appeared before Judge Finston, I'd love to hear:
1. What's your nationality, and when was your most recent hearing?
2. How did your attorney prepare for this judge specifically?
Source: EOIR (U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review) public statistics, May 2026 release, compiled by AsylumTracker. A judge's historical pattern does not predict the outcome of any individual case; this is shared to help set realistic expectations. Real-experience accounts from the community are welcome.
Have experience with this judge? Open AsylumTracker to reply or read more responses from the community.
How to Interpret These Judge Statistics
Leo A. Finston is listed with the Newark, NJ Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 18.9% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.
Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights Guatemala (430 decided, 8.6% grant rate), Ecuador (274 decided, 22.3% grant rate), and Honduras (264 decided, 13.6% 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.
Judge Leo A. Finston granted asylum in 18.9% of 6,342 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
Does Judge Leo A. Finston grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The rate (18.9%) is close to the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at Newark, NJ grants 16.4%. 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.
