Judges / Northern District of Illinois
Joan Humphrey Lefkow
Written decisions in the mandamus and agency-delay group that Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow 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
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ebrahimi v. Blinken | May 3, 2024 | favors the government | favors the government | favors the government | favors the government | favors the government | neutral | Dismissed |
| Ebrahimi v. Blinken | May 3, 2024 | favors the government | favors the government | favors the government | favors the government | favors the government | neutral | Dismissed |
Every decision, by case
All 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brahmbhatt v. USCIS | June 25, 2026 | USCIS | I-485 | Dismissed | Government |
| Chaudhari v. Mayorkas | February 5, 2026 | USCIS | I-918, I-918A | Dismissed as moot | Neither side |
| Ebrahimi v. Blinken and 1 other order in this case, below | May 3, 2024 | Department of State | 221(g), DS-260 | Dismissed | Government |
| Other order in this case Ebrahimi v. Blinken | May 3, 2024 | Department of State | 221(g), DS-260 | Dismissed | Government |
| Bahiraei v. Blinken and 1 other order in this case, below | February 15, 2024 | Department of State | DS-260 | Dismissed | Government |
| Other order in this case Bahiraei v. Blinken | February 15, 2024 | Department of State | 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.
17suits in the docket record
15have ended
2still pending
169median 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.11
- Dismissed on jurisdiction or the meritsDismissed for want of jurisdiction or on the TRAC factors, or judgment for the government.2
- Judgment for the plaintiffA consent, default or other judgment for the plaintiff.1
- Ended, outcome not recordedThe record shows the suit ended but not how.1
Days from the suit's filing to its end
169 days at the median; half fall between 85 and 301. 15 dockets state it.
Days from the suit's filing to its end, when it ended once the agency acted
118 days at the median; half fall between 66 and 186.5. 11 dockets state it.
4 of these suits have a written decision in the group.