New York · est. 2013Thursday, September 24, 2026
Inside Immigration

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

Immigration judges

Elizabeth A Cottor

Immigration Judge, Phoenix Immigration Court. Appointed March 2019 by Matthew Whitaker.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Cottor86.9%
Phoenix court85.0%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
904
Asylum granted
82
Other relief granted
36
Denied
786
Against own court
+1.9 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
75%69%71%83%98%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 82% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Mexico (42.9%), Guatemala (14%), Venezuela (11%), Honduras (6.6%), Colombia (5.2%).

Official biography

Then-Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker appointed Elizabeth A. Cottor to begin hearing cases in March 2019. Judge Cottor earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1992 from University of Arizona and a Juris Doctor in 1996 from the William Mitchell School of Law. From 2005 to2019, she served as a deputy county attorney (DCA) with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office (MCAO), in Phoenix. From 2003 to 2005, she was an attorney with Ryley, Carlock &Applewhite P.A., in Phoenix. From 2000 to 2003, she was an attorney with Burch & Cracchiolo P.A., in Phoenix. In 2003, she was an adjunct professor with the Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. From 1998 to 2000, she served as a DCA with MCAO. From 1996 to 1998, she served as an attorney with the Securities Division of the Arizona Corporation Commission in Phoenix. Judge Cottor is a member of the State Bar of Arizona.

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

In the record

  • Executive Office for Immigration Review

    EOIR Notice: 31 New Immigration Judges

    EOIR's notice records that then-Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker appointed Elizabeth A. Cottor to begin hearing cases in March 2019 at the Phoenix Immigration Court, after fourteen years as a deputy county attorney in Maricopa County.

Other judges at Phoenix

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.