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

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

Immigration judges

Jonathan S. Simpson

Immigration Judge, San Diego Immigration Court. Appointed November 2015 by Loretta E. Lynch.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Simpson28.1%
San Diego court54.6%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
242
Asylum granted
118
Other relief granted
56
Denied
68
Against own court
-26.5 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
7%2%9%59%96%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 75% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Russia (25.6%), Mexico (15.7%), Guatemala (5%), Honduras (4.1%), Nicaragua (4.1%).

Official biography

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch appointed Judge Simpson to begin hearing cases in November 2015. Judge Simpson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1995 from Wabash College and a Juris Doctor in 1998 from Seton Hall University. From 2006 through September 2015, Judge Simpson served as assistant chief counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Los Angeles and San Diego, Calif. From 1997 through 2006, both domestically and abroad, Judge Simpson served in various capacities as a member of the U.S. Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps, including branch chief, officer in charge, and attorney. Judge Simpson is a member of the New Jersey 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 San Diego

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.