Opinion ID: 3002142
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Conduct of the Proceedings

Text: Mr. Kholyavskiy also maintains that he was deprived of a reasonable opportunity to be heard because the IJ was predisposed to deny his applications for relief. Mr. Kholyavskiy points to the IJ’s characterization of his claim for relief as “dubious” and “ridiculous,” A.R. at 613, the IJ’s determination that Dr. Wixman was not an expert, and the IJ’s repeated interruptions, as evidence of the IJ’s intent to deprive him of a fair hearing. We do not believe that these instances, taken individually or collectively, establish that Mr. Kholyavskiy was deprived of a fair hearing. With respect to the use of “dubious” and “ridiculous,” the IJ used this terminology in his discussion with Mr. Kholyavskiy’s counsel after the Government had objected to Dr. Wixman’s testimony concerning mental institutions. The IJ had been expressing his concerns about the lack of basis for Dr. Wixman’s testimony on mental institutions and the lack of connection between Mr. Kholyavskiy’s situation and the proposed testimony. The IJ stated that he did not believe that scholars in general would accept the “dubious” proposition that a person who had left Russia when he was fifteen would end up on a government “target” list. A.R. at 613. To assume further that an individual on that target list would be placed in a mental institution was moving from the No. 07-1020 21 dubious to the ridiculous. Thus, read in context, the IJ’s comments—although not articulated in the most carefully chosen or judicious language—were not employed to characterize all of Mr. Kholyavskiy’s claims for relief, rather they applied simply to the testimony being offered by Dr. Wixman on a discreet subject. Mr. Kholyavskiy also points to the IJ’s “repeated[]” interruptions of testimony as evidence of the IJ’s bias. Appellant’s Br. at 24. However, the only interruptions noted by Mr. Kholyavskiy are those discussed above concerning Dr. Wixman’s testimony. Both were efforts by the IJ to have Mr. Kholyavskiy ground Dr. Wixman’s testimony in some objective evidence and to have Mr. Kholyavskiy establish a connection between Dr. Wixman’s anecdotes and the views held generally by Russians. These efforts to establish the credentials of Dr. Wixman and the relevancy of the evidence did not hamper Mr. Kholyavskiy’s right to a reasonable opportunity to be heard on the issues pertinent to his claim. Indeed, the IJ’s actions in this regard were consistent with his responsibility to ensure that the evidence presented was reliable and probative.