# Leah A. O'Brien Immigration Judge · [San Diego Immigration Court](/kyj/court/ca/san-diego-immigration-court) Last updated October 25, 2026 ## Leah A. O'Brien at a glance Current role Immigration Judge Court [San Diego Immigration Court](/kyj/court/ca/san-diego-immigration-court) Jurisdiction California · Federal Judicial service Active ## Hearings & court access EOIR publishes the following court assignment and hearing-access information for this judge. The hearing notice and current EOIR instructions control whether a particular hearing is remote or in person. ### [San Diego Immigration Court](/kyj/court/ca/san-diego-immigration-court) Assigned court [San Diego Immigration Court](/kyj/court/ca/san-diego-immigration-court) Webex / internet [Join EOIR Webex ↗](https://eoir.webex.com/meet/IJ.Obrien) Telephone access 2827 823 0536 Hearing links and telephone access are for parties to scheduled internet-based hearings. Visitors should attend the scheduled courtroom in person. Unrepresented respondents default to in-person hearings regardless of the directory entry. Confirm the hearing medium with the hearing notice and court. For a telephonic hearing, dial 1-415-527-5035 and enter the listed access code. Recording or photographing the hearing is prohibited. [EOIR hearing directory ↗](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/find-immigration-court-and-access-internet-based-hearings) · verified September 7, 2026 ## Immigration proceeding outcomes No proceeding outcomes in this EOIR release are matched to this profile. Any separately published asylum statistics are available below. Asylum decisions and other statistics ## Analytics Published EOIR records include 96 asylum outcomes associated with this judge. Asylum was granted in 15 (15.6%) and denied in 81 (84.4%); 0 were other or procedural outcomes. [Explore analytics](#analytics) ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge OBrien has been on active duty in the U.S. Navy since 2008 and holds the rank of commander - the director of the Navy’s Trial Counsel Assistance Program and the lead national security prosecutor — 2025–January 2026 - the senior prosecutor at Region Legal Service Office, Southwest in San Diego — 2023–2025 - the Navy’s complex case prosecutor in Washington, D.C. From 2020 to 2022, she served as a managing defense counsel at the Military Commissions Defense Organization in Washington, D.C. From 2015 to 2019, she served as a professional development officer and the senior prosecutor at Region Legal Service Office, Northwest in Bremerton, Washington — 2022–2023 - a defense counsel at Defense Service Office, West in San Diego — 2012–2015 - a prosecutor at Region Legal Service Office, Mid-Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia — 2009–2011 ### Education - George Washington University Law School — LL.M. (2020) - University of Notre Dame Law School — J.D. (2008) - University of Georgia — B.S. (2005) ### Additional information - Leah A. OBrien was appointed as a temporary immigration judge to begin hearing cases in February 2026 - In 2011, she served as the staff judge advocate for Commander, Amphibious Squadron Six, deployed onboard the USS Bataan (LHD 5) - Judge OBrien is a member of the State Bar of Georgia ## 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.