What is Judge John McPhail's background?
EOIR's notice says that John McPhail was appointed in March 2020. Judge McPhail earned a Bachelor of Science in 1980 from the State University College at Buffalo, New York and a Juris Doctor in 1984 from the University of Tulsa. From 2016 to 2020, he served as an asylum officer and immigration officer, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Houston. From 1996 to 2016, he served as an assistant chief counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS, in Houston. From 1985 to 1996, he served as an assistant district attorney, in Garfield and Atoka County, Oklahoma.
What does TRAC report about Judge John McPhail'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 John McPhail decided 249 asylum cases at Conroe Immigration Court and denied 93.2 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 John McPhail 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 Conroe Immigration Court. The relationship is recorded as listed 2026-10-20; it may include supervisory coverage rather than a merits-hearing assignment.