Cynthia Shepherd Torg

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

StrictDenies more often than the national average+19.3 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Torg82.2%

Annandale court79.6%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 297
Asylum granted: 49
Other relief granted: 4
Denied: 244
Against own court: +2.6 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY25	FY26
86%	79%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 85% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Honduras (17.2%), Bolivia (16.2%), Guatemala (10.1%), Peru (9.4%), El Salvador (6.7%).

Official biography

Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Cynthia Shepherd Torg to begin hearing cases in October 2018. Judge Torg ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1989 from the University of Virginia anda Juris Doctor in 1992 from the University of Virginia School of Law. From 1998 to 2018, she was a senior trial attorney for the Organized Crime and Gang Section, Criminal Division,Department of Justice (DOJ), in Washington, D.C. From 2004 to 2008, she was chief counsel,Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, Criminal Division, DOJ, in Washington, D.C. From1993 to 1998, she was an assistant commonwealth's attorney in Virginia Beach, Virginia. From1992 to 1993, she clerked for the Honorable Tommy E. Miller, U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk. Judge Torg is a member of the Virginia State 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 Annandale

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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.