Immigration judge · Chicago Immigration Court (CHI)

Judge Eva S. Saltzman

Last 12 months: Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 EOIR data as of Sep 1, 2026 Last decision: Aug 2026 With decisions since 1998 in the public data
More relief than the other judges in this court
How is this compared?

This judge: 35 of 566 (6.2 %) got relief. The other judges in the court: 1,134 of 45,397 (2.5 %). We say "more" or "less" only when the difference is statistically clear (two-proportion test, 95%); otherwise "similar".

Decisions over 12 months

Decisions 566 Sep 2025 – Aug 2026
Grants relief 6.2 % Court 2.5 % · Nation 2.4 %
Removal order 44.9 % Court 88.0 % · Nation 75.6 %
Decided in absentia 16.4 % Court 69.0 % · Nation 45.3 %
Had an attorney 42.4 % Court 23.8 % · Nation 38.1 %
How long cases take 5 months 163 days (median) · Court 873 days · Nation 793 days

In plain words

Out of every 100 cases this judge decided, 6 got relief. Even so, most end without relief.

16 of every 100 cases were decided in absentia, that is, without the person at the hearing.

With an attorney, 13 of every 100 got relief; without one, 1 of every 100 (13.3 % and 0.9 %).

Of their 566 decisions, 35 ended with relief, 62 with the case closed, 215 with voluntary departure and 254 with a removal order.

How the decisions ended
OutcomeDecisions%
Relief356.2 %
Case closed6211.0 %
Voluntary departure21538.0 %
Removal order25444.9 %
Decided in absentia9316.4 %

This judge, the court and the nation

Grants relief
Removal order
Decided in absentia

With Eva S. Saltzman, the share of cases with relief is 6.2 %: higher than at the Chicago court (2.5 %) and higher than nationwide (2.4 %).

With Eva S. Saltzman, the share of removal orders is 44.9 %: lower than at the Chicago court (88.0 %) and lower than nationwide (75.6 %).

With Eva S. Saltzman, the share of cases decided in absentia is 16.4 %: lower than at the Chicago court (69.0 %) and lower than nationwide (45.3 %).

With Eva S. Saltzman, the share of people with an attorney is 42.4 %: higher than at the Chicago court (23.8 %) and higher than nationwide (38.1 %).

Cases with Eva S. Saltzman take less time than at the Chicago court: a median of 163 days versus 873.

Compared with other judges

  • Ranked 1 of 27 for relief among the judges of their court (1 = most relief).
  • Ranked 26 of 27 for cases decided in absentia (1 = most in absentia).
  • Ranked 2 of 27 for speed (1 = fastest).
  • Grants relief more often than 84 of every 100 judges nationwide (among 850 judges with 50 or more decisions).

Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)

The busiest month was Jun 2026 (80 decisions) and the quietest Aug 2026 (3).

Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)
MonthDecisionsReliefIn absentiaVs. prior month
Sep 20253340—
Oct 20254250up
Nov 20253650down
Dec 20254400up
Jan 20264140down
Feb 20264340up
Mar 202679536up
Apr 202665131down
May 20265517down
Jun 202680319up
Jul 20264510down
Aug 2026320down

Months with fewer than 5 decisions are dotted: with so few cases, that month's percentage says little.

By nationality

The nationality with the most decisions before Eva S. Saltzman is Mexico (201), followed by Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The highest share with relief was for people from Mexico (9.0 %).

Country of originDecisionsReliefIn absentia
Mexico2019.0 %13.4 %
Honduras702.9 %22.9 %
Guatemala600.0 %26.7 %
Nicaragua581.7 %12.1 %
Venezuela583.5 %27.6 %

Only countries with 25 or more decisions with this judge; cases without a recorded nationality are not included.

With and without an attorney

DecisionsRelief
With an attorney24013.3 %
Without an attorney3260.9 %

Where this judge decides

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Other judges at Chicago Immigration Court

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Frequently asked questions

How many cases did Eva S. Saltzman decide in the last 12 months?

566 decisions between Sep 2025 and Aug 2026, per EOIR data as of Sep 1, 2026.

How often does Eva S. Saltzman grant relief?

In 35 of 566 decisions (6.2 %). In the court the share was 2.5 % and nationwide 2.4 %.

What does "in absentia" mean?

That the case was decided without the person at the hearing. With Eva S. Saltzman it happened in 16.4 % of decisions. Going to your hearing is the most important thing you can do.

Where does this data come from?

From official EOIR case data, published in its FOIA Library. We count the immigration judge's decisions over the last 12 full months.

Sources

Not legal advice. These figures describe past decisions and do not predict your case. Talk to an immigration attorney.

Inmigreat is not part of the government and is not endorsed by USCIS or EOIR.