# Brandon Alexander “Alex” Kennedy Brandon Alexander “Alex” Kennedy was appointed as a temporary immigration judge to begin hearing cases in April 2026. Judge Kennedy earned a Bachelor of Science in 2012 from Liberty University and a Juris Doctor in 2015 from Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law. From May 2023 to March 2026, he served as the assistant chief of the criminal justice section at the Office of the Attorney General of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio. From June 2021 to April 2023, he served as the senior special victim counsel for the Pacific Region in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. From July 2020 to June 2021, he served as an administrative law attorney and magistrate for the 25th Infantry Division in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. From June 2019 to July 2020, he served as a trial counsel/military justice advisor for the 2nd Infantry Division in Camp Humphreys, Korea. From August 2015 to July 2018, he served as an assistant attorney general of Ohio in the criminal justice section of the Office of the Attorney General of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio. He holds the rank of major in the U.S. Army Reserve. Judge Kennedy is a member of the Ohio State Bar, the Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Temporary Immigration Judge · [Cleveland Immigration Court](/kyj/court/oh/cleveland-immigration-court) ## Brandon Alexander “Alex” Kennedy at a glance Current role Temporary Immigration Judge Court [Cleveland Immigration Court](/kyj/court/oh/cleveland-immigration-court) Current assignment [Cleveland Immigration Court](/kyj/court/oh/cleveland-immigration-court) Jurisdiction Ohio · Federal Judicial service Active Historical EOIR data ## Outcomes at a glance Total outcomes 159 Relief granted 1 0.6% Denied / removal ordered 121 76.1% Other / procedural 37 23.3% National comparison for this selection: 9,249,024 outcomes; 10.0% relief granted; 52.0% denied / removal ordered; 38.0% other / procedural. Methodology and sources These are proceeding outcomes, not asylum application statistics. Completion years use EOIR COMP_DATE; 2026 contains partial-year data. Relief granted, denied / removal ordered and other / procedural exhaust the recorded outcomes. Groups of one are included. Historical outcomes do not establish a current assignment. Counts describe recorded cases and do not predict an individual's result. [Official EOIR case data](https://fileshare.eoir.justice.gov/EOIR%20Case%20Data.zip) · Source date: Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:14:27 GMT Asylum decisions and other statistics ## Analytics Published EOIR records include 59 asylum outcomes associated with this judge. Asylum was granted in 0 (0.0%) and denied in 59 (100.0%); 0 were other or procedural outcomes. [Explore analytics](#analytics) ## Biography ### Professional career - Newly appointed temporary immigration judge assigned to the Cleveland Immigration Court in Ohio, beginning his tenure in April 2026 - May 2023-Mar 2026: Assistant Chief, Criminal Justice Section, Ohio Attorney General's Office - May 2023 – March 2026: Assistant Chief, Criminal Justice Section, Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Columbus, OH - administrative law attorney and magistrate for the 25th Infantry Division in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii (July 2020–June 2021) - Jul 2020-Jun 2021: Administrative law attorney and magistrate, 25th Infantry Division, Hawaii - trial counsel/military justice advisor for the 2nd Infantry Division in Camp Humphreys, Korea (June 2019–July 2020) - Jun 2019-Jul 2020: Trial counsel and military justice advisor, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Humphreys, South Korea - Aug 2015 – Jul 2018: Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Justice Section, Ohio AG’s Office - assistant attorney general of Ohio in the criminal justice section of the Office of the Attorney General of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio (August 2015–July 2018) - Kennedy’s career spans federal military justice, state-level criminal justice leadership, and victim advocacy roles ### Education - Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law — J.D. (2015) - Liberty University — B.S. (2012) ### Additional information - the senior special victim counsel for the Pacific Region in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii (June 2021–April 2023) - Jun 2021-Apr 2023: Senior Special Victim Counsel, Pacific Region, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii - He holds the rank of major in the U.S. Army Reserve. - His appointment is part of EOIR’s effort to reduce the immigration court backlog and expand judicial capacity - Judge Kennedy is a member of the Ohio State Bar, the Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. ## Sources Identity source checked August 19, 2026 . Biography sources checked September 15, 2026 . ### DOJ EOIR current immigration judge directory Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 19, 2026 ### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 2.1 - Delivery and Receipt Courtwide source · HTML · Source checked July 30, 2026 ### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 2.3 - Documents ### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 3.10 - Interpreters ### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 3.11 - Courtroom Decorum ### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 3.12 - Electronic Devices ### EOIR Policy Manual, Part II, Chapter 3.15 - Individual Calendar Hearing ### Find an Immigration Court and Access Internet-Based Hearings ### EOIR Announces 15 Immigration Judges and 17 Temporary Immigration Judges Identity source · PDF · Source checked September 15, 2026 [Public Records & Data Use](/public-records-data-use) · [Corrections policy](/corrections) ## Service record and verification - [Cleveland Immigration Court](/kyj/court/oh/cleveland-immigration-court) · Immigration Judge · Current · present - [Cleveland Immigration Court](/kyj/court/oh/cleveland-immigration-court) · Temporary Immigration Judge · Historical or current service unconfirmed ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [EOIR Practice Manual 2.1 — Delivery and Receipt](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-c9195b4f0bba01a19aa8df41) — Immigration Court proceedings only, not BIA or OCAHO. Preserve chapter-specific proceeding limits. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/policy-manual-eoir/part-II/icpm/chapter-2-1). Collected 2026-10-27. - [EOIR Practice Manual 3.11 — Courtroom Decorum](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8d8e8e8bf80478864645291a) — Immigration Court proceedings only, not BIA or OCAHO. Preserve chapter-specific proceeding limits. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/policy-manual-eoir/part-II/icpm/chapter-3-11). Collected 2026-10-27. - [EOIR Practice Manual 2.3 — Documents](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-53ee093be24c18a5d1a93046) — Immigration Court proceedings only, not BIA or OCAHO. Preserve chapter-specific proceeding limits. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/policy-manual-eoir/part-II/icpm/chapter-2-3). Collected 2026-10-27.