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

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

Immigration judges

Justin W. Howard

Immigration Judge, Kansas City Immigration Court. Appointed June 2016 by Loretta E. Lynch.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Howard70.8%
Kansas City court75.9%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
879
Asylum granted
178
Other relief granted
79
Denied
622
Against own court
-5.1 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
59%73%67%67%87%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 72% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (33.6%), Honduras (19.1%), Mexico (9.1%), El Salvador (8.6%), Venezuela (5.6%).

Official biography

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch appointed Justin W. Howard to begin hearing cases in June 2016. Judge Howard ear ned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1998 from Kansas State University and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from American University, Washington College of Law. From 2008 to May 2016, Judge Howard served as an assistant chief counsel for the Office of the Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security. From 2006 through 2008, Judge Howard served as an associate attorney for Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP, in Kansas City. From 2002 through 2005, Judge Howard served as an assistant state's attorney for the Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney, in Miami. Judge Howard is a member of the Florida, Kansas and Missouri Bars.

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 Kansas City

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.