Joseph R. Dierkes
Immigration Judge, Fort Snelling Immigration Court. Appointed April 1997.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 188
- Asylum granted
- 67
- Other relief granted
- 0
- Denied
- 121
- Against own court
- -15.6 pts
| FY22 | FY23 |
|---|---|
| 65% | 62% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 95% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: El Salvador (28.7%), Guatemala (22.3%), Honduras (12.2%), Mexico (8.5%), Ecuador (8%).
Official biography
Judge Dierkes was appointed as an Immigration Judge in April 1997. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree. in 1974 from Rockhurst College, Kansas City, Missouri, and a Juris Doctorate in 1977 from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. From 1987 to 1997, Judge Dierkes served as assistant district counsel for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in Kansas City, Missouri. He was in private practice in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1978 to 1987. Judge Dierkes served as a law clerk for Judge Donald B. Clark, Jackson County Circuit Court, Jackson County Courthouse, Kansas City, from 1977 to 1978. He is a member of both the Missouri and Illinois Bars.
In the record
Family Seeks U.S. Asylum After Fleeing Gang
A Wall Street Journal article on whether resistance to gang recruitment can support asylum quotes Immigration Judge Joseph R. Dierkes's 2006 decision finding the Salvadoran family had been the subject of recruitment and related threats. A correction notes the ruling was first misattributed to a district judge.
Other judges at Bloomington
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.