The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 24.7% historical asylum grant rate for Elizabeth A. Kessler at Hyattsville, MD, based on 2,294 grants and 6,994 denials (9,288 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Elizabeth A. Kessler with Hyattsville, MD. With an asylum approval rate of 24.7%, this judge is above 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 Kessler (Hyattsville, MD) data snapshot: Cameroon vs Haiti grant rates differ 21×, overall rate fell from 27% to 10% in 3 years
A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Kessler, Elizabeth A. (IJ code EAK, Hyattsville, MD):
Overall track record
21 years on the bench (since 2006), 11,745 cases total, lifetime grant rate 25.1%
Last 3 years (2023–2026): 2,246 cases, grant rate 18.1% — 3.1pp below the Hyattsville court average (21.2%)
Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)
Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
El Salvador 455 13.6%
Honduras 357 10.5%
Guatemala 339 6.0%
Venezuela 154 26.7%
Nicaragua 130 31.7%
Peru 121 19.5%
Mexico 105 3.3%
Cameroon 95 64.7%
Colombia 45 20.0%
Ecuador 44 15.8%
Haiti 38 3.1%
Cameroon applicants see a 64.7% grant rate versus 3.1% for Haiti applicants — a 20.7× gap on this judge's docket.
Year-by-year
2023: 430 cases, 26.9% grant rate
2024: 519 cases, 20.0% grant rate
2025: 697 cases, 17.9% grant rate
2026: 600 cases, 10.3% grant rate
If you've appeared before Judge Kessler, 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
Elizabeth A. Kessler is listed with the Hyattsville, MD Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 24.7% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.
Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights El Salvador (675 decided, 21.3% grant rate), Guatemala (456 decided, 12.1% grant rate), and Honduras (450 decided, 20.0% 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 Elizabeth A. Kessler's asylum grant rate?
Judge Elizabeth A. Kessler granted asylum in 24.7% of 9,288 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
Does Judge Elizabeth A. Kessler grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The rate (24.7%) is above the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at Hyattsville, MD grants 19.8%. 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.
