Kristofer R McDonald

Judge profile

This profile is summarized from public sources for background context only. It is not an ImmJudge evaluation.

Kristofer R. Mc Donald was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in November 2024. Judge Mc Donald earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2004 from San Diego State University and a Juris Doctor in 2007 from California Western School of Law. From 2016 through 2024, he was an associate attorney with the firm of Lane & Nach PC in Phoenix, where he represented Chapter 7 trustees in corporate and consumer bankruptcies. From 2015 to 2016, he was a private immigration practitioner in Chandler, Arizona. From 2009 to 2015, he served as an appellate attorney with the Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL), Civil Division (CIV), Department of Justice (DOJ). During his tenure with OIL, from 2010 to 2011, he was detailed to Federal Programs, CIV, DOJ, where he served as lead and co-counsel in Guantanamo Bay habeas corpus litigation pending before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. From 2008 to 2009, he served as a judicial law clerk at the Miami Immigration Court, and from 2007 to 2008, he served as a judicial law clerk at the Los Angeles Immigration Court, entering on duty through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. Judge Mc Donald is a member of the State Bar of California.