Habeas corpus - alien detainee
Federal civil · Immigration · 14,622 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
14,622
Cases filed
73.7%
Ended before a merits judgment
10,777 of 14,622 cases
10.9%
Plaintiff win
of 3,845 merits judgments
78.3%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Dismissed62.8%
- Defendant win20.6%
- Other4.1%
- Transferred3.4%
- Plaintiff win2.9%
- Settled2.8%
- Decided — other2.4%
- Remanded0.5%
- Mixed0.4%
- Affirmed0.1%
- Denied0%
Where you file matters
The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.
- District Court, D. New Jersey1,692 cases · 600 decided40.2%
- District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania1,343 cases · 31 decided22.6%
- District Court, M.D. Georgia811 cases · 436 decided0.7%
- District Court, N.D. Alabama796 cases · 14 decided—
- District Court, W.D. Louisiana785 cases · 117 decided2.6%
- District Court, W.D. New York731 cases · 269 decided5.6%
- District Court, D. Arizona720 cases · 574 decided3%
- District Court, C.D. California713 cases · 47 decided10.6%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts705 cases · 289 decided6.9%
- District Court, W.D. Washington665 cases · 313 decided8.6%
- District Court, S.D. Texas611 cases · 43 decided2.3%
- District Court, W.D. Texas522 cases · 73 decided4.1%
- District Court, S.D. New York507 cases · 23 decided—
- District Court, N.D. Texas428 cases · 124 decided0.8%
- District Court, D. Minnesota413 cases · 40 decided12.5%
- District Court, N.D. Florida371 cases · 311 decided1.3%
- District Court, N.D. California256 cases · 54 decided33.3%
- District Court, D. New Mexico173 cases · 52 decided1.9%
- District Court, S.D. Florida161 cases · 8 decided—
- District Court, S.D. Mississippi155 cases · 14 decided—
- District Court, E.D. California155 cases · 81 decided—
- District Court, S.D. California149 cases · 63 decided12.7%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan146 cases · 34 decided20.6%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia142 cases · 9 decided—
- District Court, N.D. Ohio115 cases · 12 decided—
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania114 cases · — decided—
- District Court, M.D. Florida113 cases · 48 decided—
- District Court, W.D. Michigan92 cases · 8 decided—
- District Court, N.D. Illinois87 cases · 8 decided—
- District Court, D. Colorado86 cases · 13 decided—
Source: FJC Integrated Database (public domain), via CourtListener — federal civil cases filed and terminated, 1988–present. Figures are descriptive statistics about how cases of a given type have closed in a given court. They describe the historical record — not a prediction or assessment of any specific case. Not legal advice.