What is Judge Natalie Smith's background?
EOIR's notice says that Natalie Smith was appointed in November 2023. Judge Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2008 from New York University and a Juris Doctor in 2012 from Fordham University School of Law. From 2021 to 2023, she served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in New York. From 2012 to 2021, she served as assistant corporation counsel and then as an assistant borough chief and deputy borough chief in the Family Court Division of the New York City Law Department.
What does TRAC report about Judge Natalie Smith'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 Natalie Smith decided 250 asylum cases at Chelmsford Immigration Court and denied 83.6 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 Natalie Smith 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 Chelmsford Immigration Court. The relationship is recorded as listed 2026-10-20; it may include supervisory coverage rather than a merits-hearing assignment.