Judges / Southern District of Florida
Cecilia M. Altonaga
Written decisions in the mandamus and agency-delay group that Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga 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
This page counts 11 of the group's written decisions, from 10 cases; the newest of them was decided June 25, 2026. The line at the top counts the whole group.
11written decisions
10cases they come from
0decisions weigh the TRAC factors
–median months from the application to the suit
Each case counts once in these outcome counts, by its latest decision here: the 1 other order in those cases is listed with their case, not counted again. A motion to dismiss denied and a later judgment for the government count as the judgment. How decisions are grouped into cases.
Disposition, by case
Months from the application to the suit
Fewer than five cases state it (4); no distribution is shown.
2 of these are section 1447(b) naturalization suits, whose months run from the application; the statute's 120 days run from the interview, which these figures do not measure.
Months from the application to the court's decision
32.9 months at the median; half fall between 29.5 and 60. 5 decisions state it.
What the suits asked for, by case
- Decide the application5
- Decide the asylum application2
- Naturalization hearing or remand (1447(b))2
- Some other action1
Agency, by case
- USCIS10
Decisions by year
TRAC rulings
None of the judge's decisions in the group weighs the TRAC factors.
Every decision, by case
All 11 of the judge's decisions in the group, in 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ugas v. Acting Director USCIS Oakland Park Field Office | June 25, 2026 | USCIS | I-485 | Dismissed | Government |
| Dumond v. EDLOW and 1 other order in this case, below | April 7, 2026 | USCIS | N-400 | Remanded to the agency | Applicant |
| Other order in this case Dumond v. EDLOW | March 19, 2026 | Not recorded | N-400 | Dismissed | Government |
| Lopez Otero v. Miami ICE Field Office Director | March 13, 2026 | USCIS | I-485 | Dismissed | Government |
| Rodriguez Verges v. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | October 31, 2025 | USCIS | I-485 | Dismissed | Government |
| Andrade Alcazar v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security | October 21, 2025 | USCIS | I-589 | Remanded to the agency | Applicant |
| Lopez v. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | March 18, 2025 | USCIS | Remanded to the agency | Applicant | |
| Ramos v. The United States of America | March 7, 2025 | USCIS | I-730 | Remanded to the agency | Applicant |
| Garcia Clisanchez v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security | February 19, 2025 | USCIS | I-589 | Remanded to the agency | Applicant |
| Arenales-Salgado-de-Oliveira v. Jaddou | January 5, 2024 | USCIS | I-918 | Dismissed in part; some claims go on | Each side in part |
| Cortes v. Swacina | November 12, 2008 | USCIS | N-400 | Attorney's fees | Applicant |
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.
22suits in the docket record
21have ended
1still pending
6median days from the suit's filing to its end
How the ended suits ended
- Ended, outcome not recordedThe record shows the suit ended but not how.7
- Remanded to the agencySent back to the agency, usually a naturalization case under section 1447(b).6
- Dismissed on jurisdiction or the meritsDismissed for want of jurisdiction or on the TRAC factors, or judgment for the government.3
- 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.3
- 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.2
The record gives no reason for 33% of the suits that ended.
Days from the suit's filing to its end
6 days at the median; half fall between 1 and 62. 21 dockets state it.
Days from the suit's filing to its end, when it ended once the agency acted
Fewer than five dockets state it (2); no distribution is shown.
11 of these suits have a written decision in the group.