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

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

Immigration judges

Scott D. Criss

Immigration Judge, Charlotte Immigration Court. Appointed July 2017 by Jeff Sessions.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Criss75.4%
Charlotte court86.7%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
560
Asylum granted
55
Other relief granted
83
Denied
422
Against own court
-11.3 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
71%60%60%71%93%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 48% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Honduras (26.4%), Mexico (15.4%), Colombia (11.4%), Guatemala (10%), Venezuela (9.3%).

Official biography

Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Scott D. Criss to begin hearing cases in July 2017. Judge Criss ear ned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2002 from the California State University at Long Beach and a Juris Doctor in 2005 from The John Marshall Law School. From 2008 to 2017, he served as an assistant chief counsel for the Office of Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Charlotte, N.C. From 2006 to 2008, he served as an assistant state's attorney for the Criminal Traffic Division, Cook County State's Attorney's Office, in Chicago, Ill. From 2004 to 2005, he served as an assistant state's attorney for the Criminal Appellate Division, Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Judge Criss is a member of the Illinois 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 Charlotte

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.