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

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

Immigration judges

F. James Loprest Jr.

Immigration Judge, New York/Federal Plaza Immigration Court. Appointed October 2010 by Eric Holder.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Jr.16.2%
New York court47.7%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
636
Asylum granted
478
Other relief granted
55
Denied
103
Against own court
-31.5 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
28%7%8%15%16%40%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 92% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: China (37.3%), India (10.1%), El Salvador (8.2%), Honduras (6%), Nepal (4.6%).

Official biography

Attorney General Eric Holder appointed Judge Loprest in October 2010. Judge Loprest received a bachelor of arts degree in 1982 from Cornell University and received a juris doctorate in 1989 from University of Notre Dame Law School. From 1992 to October 2010, he was senior immigration litigation counsel and special assistant U.S. attorney for the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. During that time, Judge Loprest served as deputy regional counsel for the Department Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and assistant chief counsel for DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. From 1990 to 1992, Judge Loprest was a litigation associate for Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLP. From 1989 to 1990, he served as law clerk to the Honorable David G. Larimer, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York. Judge Loprest is a member of the State Bar of California and the New York 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 New York

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.