# James M. Rice Immigration Judge · [Cleveland Immigration Court](/kyj/court/oh/cleveland-immigration-court) Last updated October 7, 2026 ## James M. Rice at a glance Current role 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 206 Relief granted 2 1.0% Denied / removal ordered 185 89.8% Other / procedural 19 9.2% 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 147 asylum outcomes associated with this judge. Asylum was granted in 0 (0.0%) and denied in 147 (100.0%); 0 were other or procedural outcomes. [Explore analytics](#analytics) ## Biography ### Professional career - Immigration judge at the Cleveland, Ohio Immigration Court, appointed in May 2026, with a background in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Cleveland’s prosecutorial office - assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Cleveland (July 2020–April 2026) - assistant prosecuting attorney with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office in Cleveland (February 2017–July 2020, and from March 2009 to March 2014) ### Education - Regent University School of Law — J.D. (2008) - Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2005 from Miami University ### Additional information - From March 2014 to February 2017, he was in private practice and as a solo practitioner. - Bachelor of Science in Business Finance - Judge Rice is a member of the Ohio State Bar and the Northern District of Ohio. ## 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 ### Find an Immigration Court and Access Internet-Based Hearings Judge Specific source · HTML · Source checked September 14, 2026 ### Current EOIR official staff directory Current EOIR Official Staff Directory source · HTML · Source checked October 7, 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 - [Chelmsford Immigration Court](/kyj/court/ma/chelmsford-immigration-court) · Immigration Judge · Current · present - [Cleveland Immigration Court](/kyj/court/oh/cleveland-immigration-court) · 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.