Jonathan W. Owens

Immigration Judge, Cleveland Immigration Court. Appointed August 2018 by Jeff Sessions.

StrictDenies more often than the national average+8.5 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Owens71.4%

Cleveland court79.2%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 206
Asylum granted: 38
Other relief granted: 21
Denied: 147
Against own court: -7.8 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY23	FY24	FY25	FY26
52%	65%	83%	92%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 88% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (16.5%), Brazil (11.2%), El Salvador (9.2%), Nicaragua (8.7%), Honduras (7.8%).

Official biography

Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Jonathan W. Owens to begin hearing cases in August 2018. Judge Owens ear ned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1997 from the University of Michiganand a Juris Doctor in 2005from Michigan State University, Detroit College of Law. From 2014to 2018, he was an administrative law judge (ALJ) manager, and from 2007 to 2014, he was an ALJ both for the State of Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs in Detroit. From 2003 to2007, he was departmental analyst for the Office of Child Support, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Judge Owens is a member of the State Bar of Michigan.

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 Cleveland

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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.