Teresa L. Riley
Immigration Judge, Cleveland Immigration Court. Appointed May 2019 by William P. Barr.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 515
- Asylum granted
- 71
- Other relief granted
- 30
- Denied
- 414
- Against own court
- +1.2 pts
| FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89% | 78% | 80% | 54% | 91% | 87% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 90% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: Guatemala (23.9%), Honduras (14%), El Salvador (12.4%), Brazil (8.3%), Mexico (6%).
Official biography
Attorney General William Barr appointed Teresa L. Riley to begin hearing cases in May 2019.Judge Riley earned a Bachelor of Science in 1997 from the University of Akron, and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from the University of Akron School of Law. From 2009 to 2019, she served asan assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Ohio, Department of Justice, in both the Cleveland and Akron offices finishing her service as the Attorney-in-Charge, Criminal Division,of the Akron Branch Office. From 2008 to 2009, she served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office in Cleveland, Ohio. From 2003 to 2008, she served as the senior law clerk in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio. From 1999 to 2003,she served as a law clerk and judicial attorney for Judge John R. Adams in the Court of Common Pleas in Summit County, Ohio. Judge Riley is a member of the Ohio Bar.
In the record
Unconventional Judge Is Managing Trump's Court Deportation Blitz
Bloomberg Law profiles Teresa Riley, the chief immigration judge overseeing more than 600 immigration judges. Former officials and analysts say directives she has issued advance the deportation agenda set by the president and Stephen Miller, making relief harder for immigrants to obtain.
Other judges at Cleveland
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.