Brian Counihan - Immigration Judge, Elizabeth, NJ

Judge Brian Counihan

Immigration Judge at Elizabeth, NJ

1.7%

Approval Rate

Granted

1,430

Denied

1,455

Total Decided

Judge Brian Counihan serves at the Elizabeth, NJ Immigration Court. With an asylum approval rate of 1.7%, this judge is below average compared to the national average. Data sourced from EOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review).

Community Discussion

DATA AsylumTracker Data 2026-07-17

Judge Counihan (Elizabeth, NJ) data snapshot: 2,023 cases over 4 years, 1.7% grant rate

A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Counihan, Brian (IJ code BRC, Elizabeth, NJ):

Overall track record

4 years on the bench (since 2023), 2,023 cases total, lifetime grant rate 1.7%

Last 3 years (2023–2026): 2,022 cases, grant rate 1.7% — 6.8pp below the Elizabeth court average (8.5%)

Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)

Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Ecuador                349    0.5%
Mexico                 263    1.6%
Guatemala              201    0.6%
Colombia               136    0.0%
Venezuela              128    4.8%
Honduras               125    0.0%
Peru                   103    0.0%
Brazil                  83    0.0%
Dominican Republic      74    0.0%
Turkiye                 63    4.3%
Nicaragua               55    0.0%

Year-by-year

2023:  154 cases, 6.8% grant rate
2024:  244 cases, 4.5% grant rate
2025:  392 cases, 1.2% grant rate
2026: 1232 cases, 0.6% grant rate

If you've appeared before Judge Counihan, I'd love to hear:

1. What's your nationality, and when was your most recent hearing?

2. How did your attorney prepare for this judge specifically?

Source: EOIR (U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review) public statistics, July 2026 release, compiled by AsylumTracker. A judge's historical pattern does not predict the outcome of any individual case; this is shared to help set realistic expectations. Real-experience accounts from the community are welcome.

Have experience with this judge? Open AsylumTracker to reply or read more responses from the community.

How to Interpret These Judge Statistics

Brian Counihan is listed with the Elizabeth, NJ Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 1.7% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.

Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights Ecuador (205 decided, 0.5% grant rate), Mexico (186 decided, 1.6% grant rate), and Guatemala (172 decided, 0.6% grant rate). Compare these rows with the judge's overall rate because nationality mix can materially change how the headline number should be read.

Grant rate is calculated as granted / (granted + denied). Other procedural outcomes, including terminated, withdrawn, administratively closed, or removed cases, are tracked separately where available and are not treated as asylum grants.

This page is based on public EOIR data last updated 2026-07-01. It is for research and information only, not legal advice.

Read the grant-rate methodology or learn how to read immigration judge statistics.

Nationality	Cases	Grant rate
Ecuador	205	0.5%
Mexico	186	1.6%
Guatemala	172	0.6%
Colombia	100	0.0%
Honduras	96	0.0%
Peru	89	0.0%
Brazil	66	0.0%
Dominican Republic	65	0.0%

Nationality

Cases

Grant rate

Ecuador

205

0.5%

Mexico

186

1.6%

Guatemala

172

0.6%

Colombia

100

0.0%

Honduras

0.0%

Peru

0.0%

Brazil

0.0%

Dominican Republic

0.0%

Year	Cases	Grant rate
2026	870	0.6%
2025	259	1.2%
2024	222	4.5%
2023	103	6.8%

Year

Cases

Grant rate

2026

870

0.6%

2025

259

1.2%

2024

222

4.5%

2023

103

6.8%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Judge Brian Counihan's asylum approval rate?

Judge Brian Counihan's asylum approval rate is 1.7% according to EOIR FOIA data.

How many asylum cases has Judge Brian Counihan decided?

The dataset lists 1,455 total asylum cases for Judge Brian Counihan.

How is this approval rate calculated?

The approval rate is calculated as granted divided by (granted + denied). It excludes terminations and withdrawals, and the source is EOIR FOIA data.

Judge Brian Counihan

Community Discussion

Judge Counihan (Elizabeth, NJ) data snapshot: 2,023 cases over 4 years, 1.7% grant rate

How to Interpret These Judge Statistics

Nationality Breakdown

Yearly Trends

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Judge Brian Counihan's asylum approval rate?

How many asylum cases has Judge Brian Counihan decided?

How is this approval rate calculated?

Other judges at this court

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