Kenneth Flesch at a glance
- Current role
- Immigration Judge
- Current assignment
- Chicago Immigration Court · appointed to begin May 2026
- Jurisdiction
- Illinois · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
Kenneth Flesch
Immigration Judge Kenneth Flesch serves at the Chicago Immigration Court. This profile presents source-linked case statistics, EOIR methodology, appointment history, court procedures, and biography.
Immigration Judge · Chicago Immigration Court
Biography
Kenneth Flesch was appointed as an immigration judge at the Chicago Immigration Court to begin in May 2026. The current EOIR directory lists him in Chicago.
Flesch previously served as a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney from May 2018 through April 2026, most recently in the Felony Trial Division. His listed work included Grand Jury and Preliminary Hearings, Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, and Felony Appeals; he also owned a small business from 1988 through August 2015.
Available research
Immigration analyticsPrecomputed judge-attributed EOIR case metrics
Biography and careerSource-attributed professional, judicial, and education record
Notable coverage1 verified article
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures10 sourced items · labeled by scope
SourcesOfficial and public records supporting this profile
Judge-specific EOIR case analytics
EOIR Processed Case Data; source cutoff July 1, 2026; generated 2026-08-30
Scope and attribution: These are one-row-per-case EOIR records. A record is attributed to Kenneth Flesch only when the configured KHF code and normalized name match EOIR's last-judge fields. Direct and inherited records are separated; inherited cases began under another judge and are not presented as having been handled by this judge for their full duration.
Limitations: 2026 is an incomplete source period: the processed EOIR release runs through July 1, 2026. The May 2026 appointment is month-precise in the official EOIR source; the completion cohort starts May 1, 2026.
Judge attribution
- Attributable case records
- N=2,597
- Direct records (first and last judge)
- N=1,931
- Inherited records (last judge only)
- N=666
- First-assigned records
- N=1,979
- Transferred away after first assignment
- N=48
IJ completions since May 2026 appointment month
- Completed cases
- N=145
- Completion dates
- 2026-05-04 – 2026-06-30
- Appointment-date handling
- Included from 2026-05-01; month-precise
Case outcomes
Completion denominator: N=145
- Remove: N=142 of N=145 (97.9%)
- Voluntary Departure: N=3 of N=145 (2.1%)
Asylum merits
Grant/deny merits denominator: N=16; non-merits coded decisions excluded: N=129
- Granted
- N=0 of N=16 (0.0%)
- Denied
- N=16 of N=16 (100.0%)
Case characteristics
- In absentia
- N=128 of N=145 (88.3%)
- Represented
- N=21 of N=145 (14.5%)
- Median NTA → IJ completion
- 892 days (N=145)
NTA-to-IJ-completion is case duration across the recorded case, not time spent under this judge; inherited cases may have begun before the appointment.
Court and location distribution
Final recorded locations in the completion cohort; denominator N=145
Final recorded court
- Chicago (CHI): N=145 of N=145 (100.0%)
Final recorded hearing location
- Chicago, Illinois: N=145 of N=145 (100.0%)
These are final recorded case locations in the completion cohort, not proof of the judge's historical court assignment or time spent at a location.
Methodology and source disclosure
- Computed by KnowJudges from the pinned Deportation Data Project processed EOIR case file; third-party profile statistics were not used as inputs.
- The source is one row per case. Records attributable to the judge use the final recorded EOIR judge code/name; direct and inherited records are shown separately.
- IJ completions use ij_completion_date_last on judge-attributed records from the May 2026 appointment month through the July 1, 2026 source cutoff.
- Outcome percentages use the displayed completion denominator; asylum merits percentages use only coded Grant/Deny decisions and display their own N.
Processed by Deportation Data Project; analyzed by KnowJudges. EOIR release notes ↗ · Processed-data codebook ↗ · Pinned source file at commit af0168621d74 ↗
Courtwide and national benchmark
TRAC decisions through June 2026; source cutoff 2026-June
These courtwide and national figures are comparison benchmarks, not judge-specific results.
Chicago Immigration Court
- Qualifying decisions
- 27,523
- Asylum granted
- 12,319 (44.8%)
- Other relief granted
- 1,436 (5.2%)
- Denied
- 13,768 (50.0%)
- Any relief granted
- 13,755 (50.0%)
National comparison
- National denial rate
- 60.0%
- Court vs national denial
- -10.0 pp
- National any-relief rate
- 40.0%
- Court vs national any relief
- +10.0 pp
National context
- Qualifying decisions
- 1,078,236
- Asylum granted
- 388,415 (36.0%)
- Other relief granted
- 42,814 (4.0%)
- Denied
- 647,007 (60.0%)
- Any relief granted
- 431,229 (40.0%)
Precomputed TRAC court and national decisions data: https://tracreports.org/phptools/immigration/asylum/table_json.php · checked 2026-08-30
Current Immigration Court context
Courtwide statistics, not this judge's outcomes. These figures describe Chicago Immigration Court during the current TRAC reporting period.
- New proceedings
- 21,960
- Completed / closed cases
- 32,542
- Average wait time for completed cases
- 870 days
- Backlog
- 211,120
- Average days waited so far
- 895 days
- Average days until hearing
- 1,775 days
- Represented among completed cases
- 22.1%N=7,208 / 32,542
- Detained among completed cases
- 4.6%N=1,503 / 32,542
View full immigration court analytics ↗
Sources
Source period: FY2026/YTD through June 2026. Exact denominators are shown as N/n where available.
TRAC source periods: Fiscal Year NTA Dated=2026 · Fiscal Year Completed=2026 · Fiscal Year=2026 · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Represented=Represented; Fiscal Year Completed=2026 · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Custody=Detained; Fiscal Year Completed=2026 · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Hearing Attendance=Not Present at Last Hearing (Absentia Decision); Fiscal Year Completed=2026 · Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026 · Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026, Bond Hearing Outcome=Granted; Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026 · Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026, Bond Hearing Outcome=Not Granted; Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026 · Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026, Bond Hearing Outcome=Withdraw; Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026 · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Removal Order · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Terminate Proceedings · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Voluntary Departure · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=No NTA Filed · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Grant Relief · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Other Closure · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Credible Fear - not found · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Reasonable Fear - not found · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Withholding Only - relief not granted · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Credible Fear - found · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Asylum Only - relief not granted · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Asylum Only - other · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Witholding Only - other · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Credible Fear - other · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Reasonable Fear - found · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Withholding Only - relief granted · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Other Case Type Completed · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Asylum Only - relief granted · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Reasonable Fear - other.
TRAC filters: Fiscal Year NTA Dated=2026 · Fiscal Year Completed=2026 · Fiscal Year=2026 · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Represented=Represented · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Custody=Detained · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Hearing Attendance=Not Present at Last Hearing (Absentia Decision) · Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026 · Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026, Bond Hearing Outcome=Granted · Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026, Bond Hearing Outcome=Not Granted · Bond Hearing Fiscal Year=2026, Bond Hearing Outcome=Withdraw · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Removal Order · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Terminate Proceedings · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Voluntary Departure · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=No NTA Filed · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Grant Relief · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Other Closure · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Credible Fear - not found · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Reasonable Fear - not found · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Withholding Only - relief not granted · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Credible Fear - found · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Asylum Only - relief not granted · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Asylum Only - other · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Witholding Only - other · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Credible Fear - other · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Reasonable Fear - found · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Withholding Only - relief granted · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Other Case Type Completed · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Asylum Only - relief granted · Fiscal Year Completed=2026, Outcome (detailed)=Reasonable Fear - other.
Provenance: TRAC table_json.php exact value; no estimation. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗ · TRAC exact source ↗
Biography
Professional career
- Member, Illinois Bar
- Small-business owner, 1988–August 2015
- Cook County work included Grand Jury and Preliminary Hearings, Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, and Felony Appeals
- Cook County Assistant State's Attorney, May 2018–April 2026; most recently in the Felony Trial Division
Judicial service
- Immigration Judge, Chicago Immigration Court, appointed to begin May 2026
Education
- Northeastern Illinois University · B.S., 1984
- Loyola University Chicago · M.B.A., 1988
- IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law · J.D., 2017
Notable coverage
EOIR Announces 77 Immigration Judges and 5 Temporary Immigration Judges
U.S. Department of Justice · May 21, 2026 · official government
The Department of Justice announcement identifies Flesch among the immigration judges appointed to begin in May 2026 and assigned to Chicago.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Filing requirements
Courtwide
For non-detained individual calendar hearings, advance filings are generally due at least 30 days before the hearing and responses are due within 10 days after the original filing; detained-case deadlines are set by the immigration judge.
For individual calendar hearings involving represented, non-detained aliens, amendments to applications for relief, additional supporting documents, updates to witness lists, and other such documents must be submitted at least thirty (30) days in advance of the individual calendar hearing.
Exhibits
Courtwide
Briefs, motions, and exhibits should use consecutive page numbers, and proposed exhibits or supporting documents should include a table of contents identifying page numbers.
All documents, including briefs, motions, and exhibits, should always be paginated by consecutive numbers placed at the bottom center or bottom right-hand corner of each page.
Witnesses
Courtwide
A witness list should identify each non-respondent witness, summarize the expected testimony, estimate its length, state the testimony language, and include a CV or resume for an expert.
A witness list should include the following information for each witness, except the respondent: the name of the witness; if applicable, the alien registration number (A number); a written summary of the testimony; the estimated length of the testimony; the language in which the witness will testify; and a curriculum vitae or resume, if called as an expert.
Interpreter Request Deadline
Courtwide
A respondent or practitioner should request an interpreter no later than 30 days before the hearing at which interpreter services will be needed.
The respondent or the respondent’s attorney / practitioner of record should request an interpreter no later than 30 days before the next hearing where the interpreter services will be needed.
Addressing The Judge
Courtwide
Address the immigration judge as “Your Honor” or “Judge,” and stand when the judge enters and exits the courtroom.
The Immigration Judge should be addressed as either “Your Honor” or “Judge __.”
Oral argument
Courtwide
Except when questioning witnesses, direct oral argument and statements to the immigration judge rather than debating the opposing party.
All oral argument and statements made during a hearing must be directed to the Immigration Judge.
Recording and broadcasting
Courtwide
Only the immigration judge may record a hearing; practitioners of record may use silent electronic devices only for immediately relevant court business and subject to the judge’s control.
No device of any kind, including cameras, video recorders, and cassette recorders, may be used by any person other than the Immigration Judge to record any part of a hearing.
Hearings
Courtwide
At an individual calendar hearing, be prepared to make opening and closing statements, raise evidentiary objections, present witnesses and evidence, and cross-examine opposing witnesses.
While the Immigration Judge decides how each hearing is conducted, parties should be prepared to:
Courtwide
If the hearing medium is uncertain or an internet-based hearing cannot be accessed, contact the hearing immigration court; unrepresented respondents default to in-person hearings.
Respondents who do not have a representative of record will always have a default hearing medium of in-person, regardless of the indication below.
Remote appearances
Courtwide
Photographing or recording any part of an internet-based immigration hearing is prohibited and may result in penalties.
Photographing or recording through the internet to capture any part of the hearing is strictly prohibited and subject to possible penalties.
Sources
EOIR Announces 77 Immigration Judges and 5 Temporary Immigration Judges
Identity source · HTML · checked August 30, 2026
View EOIR Announces 77 Immigration Judges and 5 Temporary Immigration Judges ↗Find an Immigration Court and Access Internet-Based Hearings
Identity source · HTML · checked August 30, 2026
View Find an Immigration Court and Access Internet-Based Hearings ↗DOJ EOIR current immigration judge directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 19, 2026
View DOJ EOIR current immigration judge directory ↗EOIR — Chicago Immigration Court
Courtwide source · HTML · checked September 5, 2026
View EOIR — Chicago Immigration Court ↗EOIR judge-specific case statistics and methodology
Judge Specific source · HTML · checked September 5, 2026
View EOIR judge-specific case statistics and methodology ↗