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

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

Immigration judges

John W. Cortes

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

StrictDenies far more often than the national average+25.0 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Cortes87.9%
Phoenix court85.0%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
1,313
Asylum granted
143
Other relief granted
16
Denied
1,154
Against own court
+2.9 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY23FY24FY25FY26
79%70%91%98%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 79% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Mexico (35.3%), Guatemala (14.5%), Venezuela (11.9%), Cuba (7.9%), Honduras (7%).

Official biography

Then-Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker appointed John W. Cortes to begin hearing cases in March 2019. Judge Cortes earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from the City University of New York at Brooklyn College and a Juris Doctor in 2002 at the New York Law School. From2003 to 2018, he served as an assistant district attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, and from 2013 to 2018, he served as a principal assistant district attorney for the same court. Judge Cortes is a member of the State Bar of Arizona and New York State Bar.

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

In the record

  • Executive Office for Immigration Review · 2019-03-18

    EOIR notice announcing new immigration judges

    This EOIR announcement lists John W. Cortes as an immigration judge at the Varick Street Immigration Court, appointed by Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to begin hearing cases in March 2019. The release includes a biography covering education and prior legal roles.

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.