New York · est. 2013Friday, September 4, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Immigration judges

Brian T. Palmer

Immigration Judge, Charlotte Immigration Court. Appointed October 2018 by Jeff Sessions.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Palmer92.9%
Charlotte court86.7%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
674
Asylum granted
42
Other relief granted
6
Denied
626
Against own court
+6.2 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY24FY25FY26
81%95%93%

Read from TRAC's chart to the nearest point. Years with fewer than 25 decisions are not shown.

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 90% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Honduras (23.3%), Mexico (17.1%), Venezuela (14.7%), Guatemala (9.2%), Brazil (8%).

Official biography

Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Brian T. Palmer to begin hearing cases in October 2018. Judge Palmer ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1982 from the Brockport State University of New York, a Juris Doctor in 1986 from the Western New England College School of Law, and a Masters of Law in 1992 from The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. From1987 to 2018, he served as an attorney, judge, and commanding officer in the U.S. Marine Corpsin the following locations: Washington, D.C.; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Parris Island,South Carolina; Norfolk, Virginia; Okinawa, Japan; Stuttgart, Germany; Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii;and Cherry Point, North Carolina. Additionally, he served in combat zone deployments to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. From 1986 to 1987, he was a private practice associate attorney in East Hartford, Connecticut. Judge Palmer is a member of the Connecticut Bar, Hawaii Bar, and the District of Columbia Bar.

As published by the Executive Office for Immigration Review at appointment, via TRAC.

In the record

No published reporting or appellate decisions naming this judge have been collected yet.

Other judges at Charlotte

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.