What is Judge James R. McKee's background?
EOIR's notice says that James R. McKee was appointed in October 2020. Judge McKee earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1988 from Syracuse University, a Juris Doctor in 1991 from the Syracuse University College of Law, and a Master of Laws in 2002 from the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. From 2018 to 2020, he served as chief, Foreign Law Branch, Department of Defense, in Wiesbaden, Germany, and the Intelligence and Security Command, in Fort Meade, Maryland. From 2016 to 2018, he served with the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Department of Justice. From 1994 to 2016, he served as a U.S. Army judge advocate in multiple positions in the criminal, operational, and administrative law divisions. He also served in the legal assistance, training development and future concepts directorates, and as the first program manager of the Special Victims’ Counsel Program, in the U.S., Germany, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
What does TRAC report about Judge James R. McKee'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 R. McKee decided 1098 asylum cases at New York Immigration Court and denied 85.4 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 R. McKee 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 New York - Broadway Immigration Court. The relationship is recorded as listed 2026-10-20; it may include supervisory coverage rather than a merits-hearing assignment.