Kristofer R. McDonald
Immigration Judge, Los Angeles - West Los Angeles Immigration Court. Appointed November 2024.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 665
- Asylum granted
- 107
- Other relief granted
- 7
- Denied
- 551
- Against own court
- +21.7 pts
| FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|
| 62% | 94% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 92% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: Guatemala (18.3%), Nicaragua (12.3%), Honduras (10.8%), Mexico (9.6%), Colombia (9.2%).
Official biography
Kristofer R. McDonald was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in November 2024. Judge McDonald ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 2004 from San Diego State University and a Juris Doctor in 2007 from California Western School of Law. From 2016 through 2024, he was an associate attorney with the firm of Lane & Nach PC in Phoenix, where he represented Chapter 7 trustees in corporate and consumer bankruptcies. From 2015 to 2016, he was a private immigration practitioner in Chandler, Arizona. From 2009 to 2015, he served as an appellate attorney with the Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL), Civil Division (CIV), Department of Justice (DOJ). During his tenure with OIL, from 2010 to 2011, he was detailed to Federal Programs, CIV, DOJ, where he served as lead and co-counsel in Guantanamo Bay habeas corpus litigation pending before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. From 2008 to 2009, he served as a judicial law clerk at the Miami Immigration Court, and from 2007 to 2008, he served as a judicial law clerk at the Los Angeles Immigration Court, entering on duty through the Attorney General's Honors Program. Judge McDonald is a member of the State Bar of California.
In the record
No published reporting or appellate decisions naming this judge have been collected yet.
Other judges at Los Angeles - WLA
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.