In re John Doe
Sep 06, 2006OUTCOME: Our client was granted political asylum
Successfully applied for political asylum for our client, a 20 year-old pro-democracy student activist from the West African nation of Togo. Our team interviewed our client and witnesses, prepared affi ... davits, pre-hearing motions, and the comprehensive brief. I was fortunate enough to have lead responsibility throughout this case, including arguing the day-long hearing before Judge Jill H. Dufresne, a United States Immigration Judge sitting in the Baltimore Immigration Court. Because our asylum application was opposed by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the hearing was much like a trial, where we put our client and supporting witnesses on the stand for direct examination. I handled both the direct and re-direct examinations for our client, as well as the opening and closing arguments. In granting asylum to our client, Judge Dufresne issued a 23-page written decision that fully vindicated his story.
