Melissa Fox

Immigration Judge, Philadelphia Immigration Court. Appointed March 2026.

StrictDenies more often than the national average+19.0 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Fox81.9%

Philadelphia court58.7%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 127
Asylum granted: 18
Other relief granted: 5
Denied: 104
Against own court: +23.2 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY26
81%

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: Colombia (16.5%), Ecuador (12.6%), Guatemala (12.6%), Brazil (5.5%), Egypt (4.7%).

Official biography

Melissa Fox was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in March 2026. Judge Fox ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 2010 from Binghamton University and a Juris Doctor in 2013 from St. John's University School of Law. From December 2020 to February 2026, she served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Philadelphia. From August 2017 to December 2020, she served as an asylum officer at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS, in Chicago. Judge Fox is a member of the Illinois State Bar, New Jersey State Bar, and New York State 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 Philadelphia

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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.