The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 17.9% historical asylum grant rate for Patrick S. O'Brien at San Francisco, CA, based on 719 grants and 3,305 denials (4,024 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Patrick S. O'Brien with San Francisco, CA. With an asylum approval rate of 17.9%, 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 O'Brien (San Francisco, CA) data snapshot: Eritrea vs Colombia grant rates differ 33×, overall rate fell from 25% to 2% in 3 years
A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge O'Brien, Patrick S. (IJ code PSO, San Francisco, CA):
Overall track record
21 years on the bench (since 2006), 4,283 cases total, lifetime grant rate 17.9%
Last 3 years (2023–2026): 2,435 cases, grant rate 16.6% — 22.0pp below the San Francisco court average (38.6%)
Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)
Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Colombia 446 2.3%
Guatemala 433 13.2%
Mexico 404 9.1%
India 210 40.1%
Honduras 175 11.2%
Nicaragua 149 24.2%
El Salvador 135 10.3%
Peru 110 9.5%
Venezuela 77 2.6%
China 49 19.6%
Eritrea 41 75.0%
Eritrea applicants see a 75.0% grant rate versus 2.3% for Colombia applicants — a 32.7× gap on this judge's docket.
Year-by-year
2023: 536 cases, 25.5% grant rate
2024: 588 cases, 22.1% grant rate
2025: 885 cases, 13.9% grant rate
2026: 426 cases, 2.3% grant rate
If you've appeared before Judge O'Brien, 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, July 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
Patrick S. O'Brien is listed with the San Francisco, CA Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 17.9% 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 (736 decided, 22.0% grant rate), Mexico (607 decided, 11.2% grant rate), and Colombia (440 decided, 2.3% 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.
What is Judge Patrick S. O'Brien's asylum grant rate?
Judge Patrick S. O'Brien granted asylum in 17.9% of 4,024 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
Does Judge Patrick S. O'Brien grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The rate (17.9%) is close to the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at San Francisco, CA grants 47.6%. 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.
