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

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

Immigration judges

Joseph C. Scott

Immigration Judge, Philadelphia Immigration Court. Appointed June 2020 by William P. Barr.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Scott56.7%
Philadelphia court58.7%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
922
Asylum granted
322
Other relief granted
77
Denied
523
Against own court
-2.0 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
67%51%34%24%56%79%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 89% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (14.9%), Brazil (10.6%), Honduras (10.4%), Belarus (4.7%), Mexico (4.1%).

Official biography

Attorney General William P. Barr appointed Joseph C. Scott as an immigration judge in June 2020. Judge Scott ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from Rutgers College and a Juris Doctor in2003 from Rutgers School of Law – Newark. From 2012 to 2020, he served as an assistant chief counsel, Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA),Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Philadelphia. From 2009 to 2012, he served as an associate legal advisor, National Security Law Section, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in the District of Columbia. From 2007 to 2009, he served as an assistant chief counsel, OCC, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in Los Angeles. From 2005 to 2006, he was an associate attorney with Farmer Case and Fedor, in San Diego. Judge Scott is a member of the State Bar of California.

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 Philadelphia

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.