Jose Luis Penalosa Jr.
Immigration Judge, San Diego Immigration Court. Appointed April 2017 by Jeff Sessions.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 366
- Asylum granted
- 21
- Other relief granted
- 29
- Denied
- 316
- Against own court
- +31.7 pts
| FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|
| 60% | 86% | 98% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 91% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: Guatemala (25.1%), Mexico (20.2%), Venezuela (7.9%), Colombia (6.8%), Russia (6.6%).
Official biography
Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed José Luis Peñalosa Jr. to begin hearing cases in April 2017. Judge Peñalosa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctor in 1989 from the Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. From May 1993 to April 2017, he was a solo practitioner at Peñalosa & Associates P.C. From May 1991 to May 1993, he was an attorney with Friendly House Inc. in Phoenix. Judge Peñalosa is a member of the State Bar of Arizona and the Colorado Bar.
In the record
Vista High School Graduate Appointed Federal Judge
The Vista Press reports that Penalosa, a 1980 graduate of Vista High School, was appointed a federal immigration judge on May 5, 2017, one of seven selected from a large applicant pool. The piece traces his schooling from Palomar College to UCLA.
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.