David C. Koelsch
Immigration Judge, Baltimore Immigration Court. Appointed August 2018 by Jeff Sessions.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 411
- Asylum granted
- 338
- Other relief granted
- 5
- Denied
- 68
- Against own court
- -39.2 pts
| FY21 | FY22 |
|---|---|
| 20% | 6% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 95% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: El Salvador (56%), Guatemala (14.8%), Honduras (13.4%), Cameroon (4.4%), Ethiopia (2.9%).
Official biography
Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed David C. Koelsch to begin hearing cases in August 2018. Judge Koelsch earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988 from Michigan State Universityand a Juris Doctor in 1994from Catholic University. From 2017 to 2018, he was a supervisory asylum officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Arlington, Va. From 2015 to 2017, he was an appeals officer with the Administrative Appeals Office, USCIS, DHS. From 2002 to 2015, he was a professor and director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. From2000 to 2005, he was legal director of Freedom House. From 1998 to 2000, he was associate attorney with Dykema PLLC. From 1996 to 1998, he was associate attorney with Hopkins &Sutter. From 1995 to 1996, he was a law clerk for the Alaska Superior Court. He is a member ofthe Michigan State Bar.
In the record
EOIR Notice: New Immigration Judges
EOIR's notice records that Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed David C. Koelsch to begin hearing cases in August 2018 at the Baltimore Immigration Court, and summarises his academic and professional background before the appointment.
Retired immigration judge says immigration courts are 'beyond saving'
Michigan Public interviews former Immigration Judge David Koelsch, who argues the immigration court system is beyond saving and that trained asylum officers rather than judges should decide who may remain in the United States.
Ex-Maryland judge tear-gassed by Border Patrol in Minnesota
The Banner profiles retired immigration judge David Koelsch, formerly of the Hyattsville Immigration Court, describing his time on the bench deciding deportation cases and his account of being tear-gassed by Border Patrol at a protest in Minnesota.
Other judges at Baltimore
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.