Brenda M. O'Malley
Immigration Judge, Boston Immigration Court. Appointed April 2009.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 1,050
- Asylum granted
- 619
- Other relief granted
- 33
- Denied
- 398
- Against own court
- -14.7 pts
| FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% | 12% | 29% | 19% | 51% | 87% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 92% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: El Salvador (24.1%), Guatemala (21.9%), Brazil (12%), Honduras (10.1%), Ecuador (4.9%).
Official biography
Judge O'Malley was appointed as an immigration judge in April 2009. She received a bachelor of arts degree in 1992 from Boston University and a juris doctorate in 1995 from Suffolk University Law School. From April 2007 to April 2009, Judge O'Malley served as an associate regional counsel with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Boston. From June 2004 to June 2007, she served as counsel to the Chief Immigration Judge in Falls Church, Va. From May 1998 to June 2004, Judge O'Malley worked at the Office of Immigration Litigation, Civil Division, Washington, DC, as a trial attorney. From October 1996 to May 1998, she worked as an associate general counsel for the Office of the General Counsel, EOIR, in Falls Church, Va. From September 1995 to September 1996, Judge O'Malley worked as a judicial law clerk at the Boston Immigration Court, entering on duty through the Attorney General's Honors Program. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar.
In the record
Another longtime immigration judge no longer at Boston court
WBUR reports Brenda O'Malley, appointed to the Boston Immigration Court by President Obama in 2009, was terminated without cause in July 2026; a fellow fired judge called her loss to the bench irreplaceable given her 69% asylum grant rate.
EOIR Swears In 10 Immigration Judges
Official DOJ/EOIR news release announcing Brenda M. O'Malley's investiture as an immigration judge for the Boston Immigration Court in April 2009, with biographical background on her prior DHS and EOIR litigation roles.
Other judges at Boston
Court page →About these figures. Denial rates describe outcomes in the cases a judge happened to hear, which differ by detention, nationality and representation. They are not a measure of fairness or competence. Method and sources are on the judges index.