James F. Polivka

Immigration Judge, Oakdale Immigration Court. Appointed February 2023.

StrictDenies far more often than the national average+22.0 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Polivka84.9%

Oakdale court81.9%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 192
Asylum granted: 26
Other relief granted: 3
Denied: 163
Against own court: +3.0 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY24	FY25
84%	87%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 69% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Russia (36.5%), Georgia (9.9%), Uzbekistan (8.9%), Colombia (4.2%), Mexico (3.6%).

Official biography

James F. Polivka was appointed as an Immigration Judge to begin hearing cases in February 2023. Judge Polivka ear ned a Bachelor of Science in 2007 from Ohio State University, Max M. Fisher College of Business, and a Juris Doctor in 2012 from Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. From 2014 to 2022, he served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Oakdale, Louisiana. From 2013 to 2014, he served as an immigration services officer with the National Benefits Center, Field Operations Division, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS, in Overland Park, Kansas. Judge Polivka is a member of the Missouri 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 Oakdale

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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.