Geographies of Deservingness: The Role of State Contexts in Asylum Court Decision Making

Authors

James Nicholas Hernández, Macalester College

Document Type

Honors Project

Abstract

This paper examines how state-level conditions shape asylum adjudication, a process I situate within broader racial and economic hierarchies. Prior work shows judges’ demographics shape asylum decisions. Informed by legal realism theories, I argue judges are also influenced by local social, economic, and political contexts. Using judicial data, I analyze spatialized variables’ effects on asylum grant odds using logistic regressions and a random forest model. Affluent liberal states are found to have higher odds of relief, indicating that deservingness is defined differently across US societies. By bridging judicial behavior and geographic context, I offer empirical insights into asylum adjudication disparities.

Recommended Citation

Hernández, James Nicholas, "Geographies of Deservingness: The Role of State Contexts in Asylum Court Decision Making" (2025). Sociology Honors Projects. 83.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/soci_honors/83