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

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

Immigration judges

David M. Paxton

Immigration Judge, Houston South Gessner Immigration Court. Appointed April 2021.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Paxton74.8%
Houston - Gessner court82.0%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
318
Asylum granted
21
Other relief granted
59
Denied
238
Against own court
-7.2 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY24FY25FY26
81%67%79%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 72% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Honduras (19.8%), Venezuela (17.3%), Cuba (15.4%), Mexico (9.7%), El Salvador (8.8%).

Official biography

David M. Paxton was appointed as an Immigration Judge to begin hearing cases in April 2021.Judge Paxton ear ned a Bachelor of Science in 1998 from Texas State University, a Master of Business Administration in 2004 from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Juris Doctor in2009 from Santa Clara University School of Law. From 2015 to 2021, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, in McAllen and Corpus Christi. From 2011 to2015, he served as a Deputy District Attorney for the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office, in San Luis Obispo, California. From 2010 to 2011, he served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Criminal Division of the Northern District of California, in San Jose. From 1997 to 2004, he served as a Systems Engineer for Advanced Micro Devices and Legerity Inc., in Austin, Texas. Judge Paxton is a member of the State Bar of California.

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 Houston - Gessner

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.