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

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

Immigration judges

Michelle Kahan

Immigration Judge, Boston Immigration Court. Appointed March 2022.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Kahan66.6%
Boston court52.6%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
1,111
Asylum granted
343
Other relief granted
28
Denied
740
Against own court
+14.0 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
74%67%54%62%80%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 93% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Brazil (63.4%), Ecuador (7.8%), Colombia (6.4%), Guatemala (5.7%), El Salvador (4.5%).

Official biography

Michelle C. Kahan was appointed as an Immigration Judge to begin hearing cases in March 2022. Judge Kahan ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1983 from the School of International Service of The American University and a Juris Doctor in 1986 from The Delaware Law School of Widener University. From 1994 to 2022, she served as a Judicial Hearing Officer for the Court of Common Pleas of York County, Pennsylvania. From 1997 to 2022, she was a solo practitioner in York, Pennsylvania. From 1992 to 1997, she was a Shareholder/Managing Attorney in the law firm of Wolfson & Kahan PC, in York, Pennsylvania. From 1987 to 1991, she was an Attorney in the law firm of Wolfson & Blackwell PC, in York, Pennsylvania. From 1985 to 1986, she served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable M. Joseph Melody, Jr. of the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Judge Kahan is a member of the Pennsylvania 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 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.