Kristi Nelson

Judge profile

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

Kristi Nelson was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in November 2023. Judge Nelson earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1992 from the University of Tulsa and a Juris Doctor in 1995 from De Paul University College of Law. From 2016 to 2023, she was a partner at Gair Eberhard Nelson Dedinas Ltd. in Chicago. During this time in 2018, she served as a volunteer attorney for the Dilley Pro Bono Project, where she represented detained noncitizens in Dilley, Texas. From 2006 to 2016, she was a partner at Chen Nelson Roberts Ltd. in Chicago. In 2005, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable Suzanne B. Conlon of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. In addition to her private practice, from 1998 to 2013, she served as pro bono counsel for National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago where she represented noncitizens before EOIR. From 1999 to 2004, she was an associate and partner with Freeman, Freeman & Salzman PC; from 1997 to 1999, she was a litigation associate with Dickinson Wright PLLC; and from 1995 to 1997, she was a litigation associate at the law firm Rudnick & Wolfe (now DLA Piper), all in Chicago. Judge Nelson is a member of the Illinois State Bar.