ASYLUMJUDGE · IMMIGRATION JUDGE PROFILE

Denise Hochul

Denise Hochul is listed with Buffalo (BUF). The database records 529 asylum outcomes: 299 approved, 230 denied, and 0 other outcomes. Historical statistics are informational and cannot predict an individual case. · 2020-01-02 – 2026-06-30

Decision approval rate56.5%Approved ÷（Approved + Denied）

Approved share of all outcomes56.5%Approved ÷ all outcomes

Asylum decisions529299 / 230 / 0

Approved / denied299 / 230 / 0Database records only

Yearly changes

Yearly asylum decision trend

Fiscal yearDecisionsGrantedDeniedOtherApproval rate

FY 20261100—Fewer than 50; rate hidden

FY 20254426180—Fewer than 50; rate hidden

FY 2024946331067.0%

Applicant origin

Asylum decisions by fiscal year and nationality

FY 2026 · 2025-10-01 – 2026-07-01 · EOIR

NationalityDecisionsGrantedDeniedOtherApproval rate

FY 2026 · Mexico2026-06-30 – 2026-06-301100—Fewer than 50; rate hidden

Official appointment record

Judge background and appointment

Appointment dateJanuary 2016

Appointed courtBuffalo Immigration Court

Appointment typeImmigration Judge

Official biography

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch appointed Judge Hochul to begin hearing cases in January 2016. Judge Hochul received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Juris Doctor in 1985 from the Ohio Northern University, Claude W. Pettit College of Law. From 1996 through 2015, Judge Hochul served in the Office of the Chief Counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security, in Buffalo, in various capacities, including: senior attorney; assistant chief counsel; designated human rights law special interest attorney; designated national security special interest attorney; member of the Trial Advocacy Training Team; and as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York. From 1987 through 1996, she served as an assistant district attorney in the Erie County District Attorney's Office in Buffalo. Judge Hochul is a member of the New York Bar.

Education: Judge Hochul received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Juris Doctor in 1985 from the Ohio Northern University, Claude W.

Bar admission: Judge Hochul is a member of the New York Bar.

Executive Office for Immigration Review Swears in Nine Immigration Judges (2016-02-01) →

This page shows only verifiable official appointment and biography records. No departure record does not confirm current service; personnel changes are labeled only with reliable sources.

How to read approval rates

Decision approval rateis approved ÷ (approved + denied). Blue “Other” is shown separately and includes identifiable withholding/CAT protection, cancellation or adjustment, voluntary departure, withdrawal, termination, dismissal, and administrative closure; it is excluded from the rate denominator.Approved share of all outcomesuses approved, denied, and other outcomes in the denominator.

With small samples, a few cases can move the percentage sharply. The page flags samples below 50 and below 200 decisions.

View methodology and sources →

AsylumJudge organizes public EOIR immigration-court data and provides no legal conclusion for any individual case.

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