On September 10, 2019, the publication Mother Jones ran an article on Judge Stuart Couch. You may find it interesting reading and indicative of how things used to be in Charlotte Immigration Courts, before Court Observers were a regular feature. Your presence does make a difference.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/09/judge-promoted-by-trump-administration-threatened-a-2-year-old-with-an-attack-dog/

Judge Couch is no longer serving the Charlotte Immigration Court. He was one of six judges who were recently promoted to the Justice Department’s Board of Immigration Appeals, which often has the final say over whether immigrants are deported.  All six judges reject asylum requests at a far higher rate than the national average; Couch granted just 7.9 percent of asylum claims between 2013 and 2018, compared to the national average of about 45 percent. (Before becoming an immigration judge, Couch served as a military prosecutor and attracted widespread attention for refusing to prosecute a Guantanamo detainee because he had been tortured.) To find out more read the second article below.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/08/the-trump-administration-has-packed-the-immigration-appeals-board-with-hardliners/