Judges / Southern District of New York
J. Paul Oetken
Written decisions in the mandamus and agency-delay group that Judge J. Paul Oetken 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 8 of the group's written decisions, from 8 cases; the newest of them was decided August 21, 2026. The line at the top counts the whole group.
8written decisions
8cases 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. 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 (1); no distribution is shown.
Months from the application to the court's decision
Fewer than five decisions state it (2); no distribution is shown.
Leaves out the 2 decisions holding that the agency had acted: their months to the decision are not a delay.
What the suits asked for, by case
- Decide the application3
- Some other action1
- Not recorded4
Decisions by year
TRAC rulings
None of the judge's decisions in the group weighs the TRAC factors.
Every decision, by case
All 8 of the judge's decisions in the group, in 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galic v. Noem | August 21, 2026 | Department of State | DS-160 | Dismissed | Government |
| Widakuswara v. Lake | March 28, 2025 | Not recorded | Granted in the applicant's favor | Applicant | |
| Malfi v. Jaddou | June 18, 2024 | USCIS | N-600K | Dismissed as moot | Neither side |
| Alawadi v. Bitter | June 16, 2023 | Department of State | Dismissed as moot | Neither side | |
| Cuckic v. Jaddou | March 21, 2023 | USCIS | I-140 | Granted in the government's favor | Government |
| Li v. Mayorkas | December 5, 2022 | USCIS | I-130 | Dismissed | Government |
| Gomez v. McHenry | October 30, 2020 | EOIR | Remanded to the agency | Applicant | |
| Belegrinos v. United States | May 6, 2019 | Department of State | DS-4079, DS-4081 | 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.
2 dockets: fewer than 5, so no distribution is shown. List them.