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

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

Immigration judges

Kathy J. Lemke

Immigration Judge, Portland Immigration Court. Appointed April 2021.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Lemke37.4%
Portland - POO court60.5%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
131
Asylum granted
76
Other relief granted
6
Denied
49
Against own court
-23.1 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23
39%28%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 86% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (29.8%), India (18.3%), Mexico (17.6%), Ukraine (7.6%), Venezuela (6.1%).

Official biography

Kathy J. Lemke was appointed as an Immigration Judge to begin hearing cases in April 2021.Judge Lemke ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 from the University of Chicago and a Juris Doctor in 1997 from Arizona State University School of Law. From 2019 to 2020, she served asthe City Prosecutor for Phoenix. From 2009 to 2019, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, in Phoenix. From 2004 to 2009, she served as an Assistant City Prosecutor for Phoenix. In 2003, she served as a Deputy County Attorney for Pinal County in Florence, Arizona. From 1998 to 2003, she served as a Deputy County Attorney for Maricopa County, in Phoenix. Judge Lemke is a member of the State Bar of Arizona and the District of Columbia Bar.

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 Portland - POO

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.