Judges / Northern District of California
Maxine M. Chesney
Written decisions in the mandamus and agency-delay group that Judge Maxine M. Chesney signed, every one listed below, and the agency-delay suits that name the judge.
2,914 written decisions from 2,661 cases in the whole mandamus and agency-delay group, the group's newest decided October 30, 2026. Updated November 3, 2026 at 1:24 a.m. CT; the Passim connector counts the live collection, which can differ by the day's additions and retirements (which total to quote). Coverage: of the 1,606 public decisions since January 1, 2025 that a CourtListener and GovInfo search for mandamus and agency delay finds, Passim holds 1,371 (85%), measured November 3, 2026. Some of what that search finds are not mandamus decisions. Tell us about a decision we're missing.
These are counts of past written decisions and dockets, not predictions of how any case will be decided. A distribution appears only when at least 5 decisions (or 5 dockets) are behind it; smaller groups are listed, not summarized. How it's counted.
Read these counts as a record of past decisions, not a rate at which this judge rules for either side and not a prediction. Each decision turned on its own facts, its posture and what the parties asked for; the suits that reach a written decision are the contested minority. Read the decisions before drawing anything from them.
How the decisions came out
5 decisions in 4 cases: fewer than 5 cases, so no distribution is shown. List them or download them (CSV).
TRAC rulings
Decisions in which the judge weighed the TRAC factors, newest first, with how the judge found each factor. Factors the decision did not reach are left blank.
| Decision | Decided | 1. Rule of reason | 2. Congressional timetable | 3. Human health and welfare | 4. Competing priorities | 5. Interests prejudiced | 6. No impropriety needed | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony N. v. U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services | December 22, 2021 | favors the government | favors the government | favors the applicant | favors the government | favors the applicant | favors the government | Denied in the government's favor |
Every decision, by case
All 5 of the judge's decisions in the group, in 4 cases, newest first. Each case's latest decision comes first and is the one the counts above count; the case's other orders follow it. Download every decision as a spreadsheet (CSV).
| Decision | Decided | Agency | Form | Disposition | Prevailing party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandhu v. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | July 24, 2026 | USCIS | I-589 | Dismissed | Government |
| Gonzalez v. Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services | April 29, 2025 | USCIS | I-765, I-918, I-918A | Granted in the government's favor | Government |
| Tony N. v. U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services and 1 other order in this case, below | March 2, 2022 | USCIS | I-765 | Dismissed as moot | Neither side |
| Other order in this case Tony N. v. U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services | December 22, 2021 | USCIS | I-765 | Denied in the government's favor | Government |
| Zafarmand v. Pompeo | December 9, 2020 | Department of State | 221(g), DS-260 | Dismissed | Government |
How agency-delay suits ended
Most suits end without a written decision: the agency acts and the parties dismiss. These counts come from the docket record (the federal courts' Integrated Database and CourtListener) and count every mandamus, APA and section 1447(b) suit against any immigration agency, whatever year it was filed, among the dockets that name this judge. Check a delay counts fewer: a court's suits of the last three years against the form's agency.
14suits in the docket record
11have ended
3still pending
133median days from the suit's filing to its end
How the ended suits ended
- Ended once the agency actedThe plaintiff dismissed, the parties stipulated to dismissal, or the court dismissed as moot: how suits end once the agency decides. The docket rarely says why, or whether the agency approved or denied.7
- Dismissed on jurisdiction or the meritsDismissed for want of jurisdiction or on the TRAC factors, or judgment for the government.2
- Dismissed, ground not recordedThe court dismissed and the record gives no ground: it can be a dismissal as moot after the agency acted, for want of prosecution, or a loss.1
- Ended, outcome not recordedThe record shows the suit ended but not how.1
Days from the suit's filing to its end
133 days at the median; half fall between 98.5 and 176.5. 11 dockets state it.
Days from the suit's filing to its end, when it ended once the agency acted
99 days at the median; half fall between 95.5 and 149.5. 7 dockets state it.
4 of these suits have a written decision in the group.