# David C. Koelsch

Former Immigration Judge · [Hyattsville Immigration Court](/kyj/court/md/hyattsville-immigration-court)

## David C. Koelsch at a glance

Current role

Former Immigration Judge

Court

[Hyattsville Immigration Court](/kyj/court/md/hyattsville-immigration-court)

Jurisdiction

Maryland · Federal

Judicial service

Former

Historical EOIR data

## Outcomes at a glance

Total outcomes

7,017

Relief granted

1,700 24.2%

Denied / removal ordered

3,610 51.4%

Other / procedural

1,707 24.3%

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

## Biography

### Professional career

- He resigned from the bench in 2025 and is now a Practitioner-in-Residence at the Chacón Center for Immigrant Justice at the University of Maryland School of Law
- U.S. immigration judge appointed in August 2018 by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to hear cases at the Baltimore Immigration Court and later at the Hyattsville Immigration Court

### Education


### Additional information

- In a 2026 interview, Koelsch argued that immigration courts are “beyond saving” and suggested that trained asylum officers should decide who may remain in the U.S., rather than judges
- Michigan and Maryland bars (Admitted to).

## Sources

Identity source checked October 6, 2026 .

### DOJ EOIR current immigration judge directory

Identity source · HTML · Source checked October 6, 2026

[Public Records & Data Use](/public-records-data-use) · [Corrections policy](/corrections)

## Courtroom rules

[Official EOIR hearing and filing instructions](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/policy-manual-eoir)