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

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

Immigration judges

Maureen S. O'Sullivan

Immigration Judge, Boston Immigration Court. Appointed October 2010 by Eric Holder.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge O'Sullivan6.3%
Boston court52.6%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
927
Asylum granted
855
Other relief granted
14
Denied
58
Against own court
-46.3 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25
8%3%11%2%9%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 97% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (25.8%), El Salvador (20.1%), Honduras (9.7%), Brazil (8.2%), Ecuador (4.4%).

Official biography

Attorney General Eric Holder appointed Judge O'Sullivan in October 2010. Judge O'Sullivan received a bachelor of arts degree in 1978 from the University of California at Los Angeles, a juris doctorate in 1981 from Antioch School of Law and a master of law degree in 1986 from Harvard University. From 1990 to October 2010, she was partner in Kaplan, O'Sullivan & Friedman in Boston, Mass. From 1986 to 1989, Judge O'Sullivan was in private practice in Boston. From 1982 to 1985, she served as director, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, Boston. From 1981 to 1982, she was in private practice in Washington, D.C. From 1980 to 1981, Judge O'Sullivan was a staff member of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy in Washington, D.C. She has worked intermittently as an adjunct professor at various law schools since 1987. Judge O'Sullivan is a member of the Massachusetts Bar and 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 Boston

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.