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

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

Immigration judges

James A. Nugent

Immigration Judge, Dallas Immigration Court. Appointed February 2005.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Nugent21.2%
Dallas court70.1%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
236
Asylum granted
31
Other relief granted
155
Denied
50
Against own court
-48.9 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY24FY25FY26
33%18%19%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 23% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Venezuela (41.5%), Honduras (11%), Colombia (6.8%), El Salvador (6.4%), Mexico (5.1%).

Official biography

Judge Nugent was appointed as an Immigration Judge in February 2005. He received an undergraduate degree in 1978 from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and a Juris Doctorate in 1987 from Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University. Prior to becoming an Immigration Judge, from July 2003 to February 2005, Judge Nugent was an examining attorney for the Delta Title Corporation in New Orleans. He was in private practice from December 2000 to July 2003 with the Law Offices of James A. Nugent and was a special partner with Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles, L.L.P., from June 1997 to December 2003, both in New Orleans. Judge Nugent is a member of the Louisiana 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 Dallas

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.