# Donna Bates

Immigration Judge · [Newark Immigration Court](/kyj/court/nj/newark-immigration-court)

Last updated October 7, 2026

## Donna Bates at a glance

Current role

Immigration Judge

Court

[Newark Immigration Court](/kyj/court/nj/newark-immigration-court)

Jurisdiction

New Jersey · Federal

Judicial service

Active

Historical EOIR data

## Outcomes at a glance

Total outcomes

16

Relief granted

0 0.0%

Denied / removal ordered

16 100.0%

Other / procedural

0 0.0%

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

- Donna M. Bates is an Immigration Judge appointed to the Newark Immigration Court in New Jersey, beginning her tenure in July 2026
- attorney at the Bayne Law Group LLC in Princeton, New Jersey (August 2017–April 2018)
- of counsel in the consumer finance litigation practice group at Blank Rome LLP in Princeton, New Jersey (March 2014–May 2017)
- senior associate attorney in the business and finance litigation group at Reed Smith LLP in Princeton, New Jersey (March 2010–March 2014)
- senior associate attorney at Robinson Brog Leinwand Greene Genovese & Gluck PC in New York, New York (November 2007–March 2010)
- deputy district attorney in the District Attorney’s Office, 4th Judicial District, in Colorado Springs, Colorado (October 2005–November 2007)
- associate attorney and associate intern at Postner & Rubin in New York, New York (January 2002–June 2005)
- protocol officer and flight commander in the U.S. Air Force at Misawa Air Base, Japan (May 1994–June 1997)

### Education

- Fordham University School of Law — J.D. (2004)
- United States Air Force Academy — B.S. (1992)

### Additional information

- vice president and assistant general Judge, 37 Immigration Judges, and 4 Temporary Immigration Judges counsel for Cenlar FSB in Yardley, Pennsylvania (April 2018–July 2026)
- section commander in the U.S. Air Force at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas (May 1992–May 1994)
- EOIR’s official biographies confirm her appointment and background.
- Judge Bates is a member of the New Jersey State Bar and the New York State Bar.
- She is a member of the Newark Immigration Court’s judicial panel, which handles immigration cases such as asylum, deportation, and relief applications

## Sources

Identity source checked August 19, 2026 .

Biography sources checked August 19, 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

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


## 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.