What is Judge James Nugent's background?
TRAC reports that James Nugent was appointed in February 2005. He received an undergraduate degree in 1978 from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and a Juris Doctorate in 1987 from Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University. Prior to becoming an Immigration Judge, from July 2003 to February 2005, Judge Nugent was an examining attorney for the Delta Title Corporation in New Orleans. He was in private practice from December 2000 to July 2003 with the Law Offices of James A. Nugent and was a special partner with Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles, L.L.P., from June 1997 to December 2003, both in New Orleans.
What does TRAC report about Judge James Nugent's asylum decisions?
TRAC, a research center that began at Syracuse University, reports that for FY 2021 - 2026 (data covers the first 9 months of fiscal year 2026), Judge James Nugent decided 236 asylum cases at Dallas Immigration Court and denied 21.2 percent, based on its report of Aug 27, 2026. These are past figures for one court. They do not predict your case, which turns on your facts, evidence, nationality and representation, and TRAC cautions against simple comparisons between judges at different courts. Read the full report at TRAC, and talk to a lawyer about your own case.
What the official record establishes
The source lists the name James Nugent in 1 alphabetical row. The recorded title is Immigration Judge. The record is not an appointment history or an employment certification.
Dated court associations
EOIR’s court-specific tables associate this entry with Dallas Immigration Court. The relationship is recorded as listed 2026-10-20; it may include supervisory coverage rather than a merits-hearing assignment.