Statistics
Outcome patterns across decided public DOHA cases. The filters below narrow the view by concern, time period, representation, and judge. Descriptive statistics, not predictions. Data through September 2026.
Reference dates for comparisons: the current adjudicative guidelines took effect in June 2017, and updated marijuana guidance was issued in December 2021.
Key findings
Cases in view
221
decided public DOHA cases
Hearing decisions
175
decided after a hearing or on the written record
Appeal decisions
46
Appeal Board decisions, counted separately
Most common concern
Guideline F
Financial Considerations · 36% granted of 472 decided
Decisions span 2007 to 2007
Using this page: the filters above narrow every section, selecting a chart row opens the cases underneath it, and each section downloads as a CSV file.
Grant rates over time
How often clearances were granted, by year.
55% granted overall (96 of 173). Yearly rates ranged 55 to 55% where the yearly sample is large enough.
Swipe the chart for earlier years. Select any year to filter the page to it.
How to read this chart
Grey bars count the decisions published in each year, read against the left axis. The blue line is the grant rate for that year, read against the right axis, and it is drawn only for years with 20 or more decided cases. The shaded band over 1999 and 2000 marks two years when very few decisions were published: DOHA published few decisions online before 2002, and almost none survive for those two years. The dashed lines mark the June 2017 adjudicative guidelines and the December 2021 marijuana guidance taking effect. They do not claim that either change caused what the chart shows.
Outcomes by concern
How each type of concern was resolved.
- F · Financial Considerations
36% granted · 171 granted · 301 denied
- Financial (unspecified)
33% granted · 141 granted · 285 denied
- Credit-card debt
39% granted · 72 granted · 113 denied
- Medical debt
49% granted · 55 granted · 57 denied
- Auto-loan debt
31% granted · 30 granted · 66 denied
- Utility / phone debt
36% granted · 33 granted · 58 denied
- Unpaid taxes
33% granted · 29 granted · 59 denied
- Civil judgment against applicant
27% granted · 19 granted · 52 denied
- Bankruptcy filing
49% granted · 20 granted · 21 denied
- Student-loan debt
34% granted · 13 granted · 25 denied
- Financial (unspecified)
- E · Personal Conduct
30% granted · 129 granted · 296 denied
- Omission / failure to disclose
33% granted · 55 granted · 112 denied
- Personal conduct (unspecified)
36% granted · 59 granted · 104 denied
- Falsified the security form
12% granted · 17 granted · 120 denied
- Lack of candor in an interview
12% granted · 9 granted · 64 denied
- Questionable judgment
31% granted · 13 granted · 29 denied
- Workplace rules violation
31% granted · 8 granted · 18 denied
- Omission / failure to disclose
- J · Criminal Conduct
30% granted · 70 granted · 167 denied
- Criminal conduct (unspecified)
34% granted · 50 granted · 99 denied
- DUI / DWI (criminal)
36% granted · 22 granted · 39 denied
- Fraud / deception criminal
19% granted · 8 granted · 34 denied
- Drug related criminal charge
20% granted · 8 granted · 32 denied
- Assault / battery
33% granted · 13 granted · 26 denied
- Theft / larceny
31% granted · 11 granted · 24 denied
- Domestic violence
48% granted · 12 granted · 13 denied
- Criminal conduct (unspecified)
- B · Foreign Influence
55% granted · 96 granted · 77 denied
- Foreign relationship (unspecified)
54% granted · 65 granted · 55 denied
- Parent in a foreign country
54% granted · 62 granted · 52 denied
- Sibling in a foreign country
49% granted · 36 granted · 37 denied
- In law in foreign country
56% granted · 19 granted · 15 denied
- Spouse dual / foreign citizen
30% granted · 8 granted · 19 denied
- Extended family in foreign country
46% granted · 12 granted · 14 denied
- Foreign relationship (unspecified)
- G · Alcohol Consumption
34% granted · 31 granted · 61 denied
- DUI / DWI (alcohol)
35% granted · 26 granted · 48 denied
- Binge / intoxication pattern
23% granted · 11 granted · 37 denied
- Alcohol incident (unspecified)
39% granted · 17 granted · 27 denied
- Treatment non compliance
28% granted · 7 granted · 18 denied
- Alcohol use disorder diagnosed
31% granted · 8 granted · 18 denied
- Continued use after treatment
33% granted · 8 granted · 16 denied
- DUI / DWI (alcohol)
- H · Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse
31% granted · 28 granted · 61 denied
- Marijuana
32% granted · 23 granted · 48 denied
- Drug involvement (unspecified)
34% granted · 17 granted · 33 denied
- Marijuana
- C · Foreign Preference
44% granted · 38 granted · 49 denied
- Foreign passport possession / use
39% granted · 25 granted · 39 denied
- Failure to renounce / surrender foreign status
44% granted · 20 granted · 25 denied
- Foreign citizenship acquisition / application
36% granted · 14 granted · 25 denied
- Foreign preference (unspecified)
56% granted · 18 granted · 14 denied
- Foreign passport possession / use
- K · Handling Protected Information
59% granted · 10 granted · 7 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
- D · Sexual Behavior
0% granted · 0 granted · 15 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
- M · Use of Information Technology
57% granted · 4 granted · 3 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
- I · Psychological Conditions
33% granted · 1 granted · 2 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
- L · Outside Activities
33% granted · 1 granted · 2 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
† marks fewer than 20 cases, too few to be reliable. A case can raise several concerns, so the rows overlap.
Mitigations judges credited most
How often each mitigation was expressly accepted by the judge, not merely claimed, across the cases in this view. This is a count of how often something was credited, so the bars are neutral: they carry no outcome.
Outcomes by representation
Whether represented and self-represented applicants were granted at different rates.
Represented by a lawyer
67% granted · 33 granted · 16 denied
Self-represented
50% granted · 62 granted · 61 denied
Difference
1.3 times
the grant rate with a lawyer
| Representation | Cases | Granted | Denied | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-represented | 123 | 62 | 61 | |
| Represented by a lawyer | 49 | 33 | 16 | |
| Not stated in the decision | 1 | 1 | 0 |
- Cases
- 123
- Granted
- 62
- Denied
- 61
- Grant rate
- Cases
- 49
- Granted
- 33
- Denied
- 16
- Grant rate
- Cases
- 1
- Granted
- 1
- Denied
- 0
- Grant rate
An association, not proof of cause: the groups being compared differ in many ways. Select a row to filter the page.
Outcomes by judge
How the cases each judge decided were resolved.
| Administrative Judge | Cases | Granted | Denied | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert J. Tuider | 14 | 8 | 6 | Filter |
| Martin H. Mogul | 12 | 9 | 3 | Filter |
| Elizabeth M. Matchinski | 11 | 3 | 8 | Filter |
| LeRoy F. Foreman | 11 | 7 | 4 | Filter |
| Christopher Graham | 11 | 5 | 6 | Filter |
| Richard A. Cefola | 8 | 7 | 1 | Filter |
| Charles D. Ablard | 8 | 7 | 1 | Filter |
| Edward W. Loughran | 7 | 4 | 3 | Filter |
| John Grattan Metz, Jr. | 7 | 4 | 3 | Filter |
| Carol G. Ricciardello | 7 | 2 | 5 | Filter |
| Shari Dam | 6 | 4 | 2 | Filter |
| Jacqueline T. Williams | 6 | 4 | 2 | Filter |
| Philip S. Howe | 5 | 3 | 2 | Filter |
| Barry M. Sax | 5 | 3 | 2 | Filter |
| Joseph Testan | 5 | 1 | 4 | Filter |
- Cases
- 14
- Granted
- 8
- Denied
- 6
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 12
- Granted
- 9
- Denied
- 3
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 11
- Granted
- 3
- Denied
- 8
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 11
- Granted
- 7
- Denied
- 4
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 11
- Granted
- 5
- Denied
- 6
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 8
- Granted
- 7
- Denied
- 1
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 8
- Granted
- 7
- Denied
- 1
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 7
- Granted
- 4
- Denied
- 3
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 7
- Granted
- 4
- Denied
- 3
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 7
- Granted
- 2
- Denied
- 5
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 6
- Granted
- 4
- Denied
- 2
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 6
- Granted
- 4
- Denied
- 2
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 5
- Granted
- 3
- Denied
- 2
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 5
- Granted
- 3
- Denied
- 2
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 5
- Granted
- 1
- Denied
- 4
- Grant rate
- Filter
† marks judges with fewer than 20 decided cases in this window. Judges hear different mixes of cases, so these rates describe the decided record, not the judges.
Appeal outcomes
How appealed decisions were treated by the Appeal Board.
The Appeal Board reviews the specific errors a party claims. It can affirm a decision, leaving it in place; reverse it, replacing the outcome; or remand it, sending it back to the judge. It does not rehear the case. Based on 40 appeal decisions with a verified outcome. Year and concern filters apply here; judge and representation filters do not.
- affirmed · 22 of 40 (55%)
- reversed · 11 of 40 (28%)
- remanded · 7 of 40 (18%)
Most appeals do not change the outcome: the Board overturned about 28% of the decisions brought to it.
Appeals by party, with outcomes
Applicants appeal denials; the Government appeals grants it disagrees with. Whether an outcome helped the applicant therefore depends on who appealed.
| Appealed by | Appeals | Affirmed | Reversed | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The applicant | 21 | 20 (95%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (5%) |
| The Government (Department Counsel) | 19 | 2 (11%) | 11 (58%) | 6 (32%) |
The applicant
- Appeals
- 21
- Affirmed
- 20 (95%)
- Reversed
- 0 (0%)
- Remanded
- 1 (5%)
The Government (Department Counsel)
- Appeals
- 19
- Affirmed
- 2 (11%)
- Reversed
- 11 (58%)
- Remanded
- 6 (32%)
Grounds for reversal or remand
The grounds the Board gave. A case can have more than one.
Errors alleged on appeal
The errors the parties raised, across every appeal in this selection.
Error found, but harmless
14%
of affirmances · 3 of 22
The Board agreed the judge erred but left the outcome in place, because the error did not change the result.
Most-cited authorities
- Department of the Navy v. Egan14
- Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Ass’n of the United States v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co.13
- Dorfmont v. Brown11
- Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Ass’n of the United States v. State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co.6
- ISCR Case No. 01-14740 at 7 (App. Bd. Jan.155
- Consolo v. Federal Maritime Comm’n5
- ISCR Case No. 05-036354
- ISCR Case No. 04-00540 at 7 (App. Bd. Jan. 53
Appeal Board judges by number of appeals
Appeals are decided by three-member panels, so an outcome belongs to the panel and not to any single judge. There is no per-judge rate for that reason.
A structured reading of the decided public Appeal Board record. The outcome the Board stated matched our independent read in 100% of cases.
Browse appeal decisionsQuestions about these statistics
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Professional plan detailsPublications and measured series
Ongoing analyses computed from the decided record, each on its own page, with its method and the counts behind every rate.
- Measured timelines
How long each stage took, measured from dates stated in the decisions.
- Time since the conduct
How long before the decision the last incident occurred.
- Candor in the record
How falsification and omission allegations were resolved.
- Veterans in the record
Decisions that state United States military service, counted by branch.
- Decisions by country
Foreign-influence decisions arranged by the country involved.
- The Issue Encyclopedia
Every specific issue inside each guideline, with its decided record.
- The statutory bars
The bars set by statute, and how they appear in decided cases.
- Docket reports
The decided record summarized the same way every quarter and every year.
Granted ÷ decided; † marks groups under 20 cases. Full methodology
Reading the statistics
- Granted = access granted or continued; Denied = denied or revoked.
- Grant rate = granted ÷ (granted + denied).
- † marks figures based on fewer than 20 cases, too few to be reliable.
- Hovering any rate shows its statistical range (a 95% confidence interval).
- Figures are descriptive counts over decided, public DOHA ISCR decisions, never predictions or assessments of any pending case.
Decided public cases: descriptive, never a prediction.