Judge Kenneth Shahan
How is this compared?
This judge: 4 of 1,144 (0.4 %) got relief (includes their cases in other courts). The other judges in the court: 283 of 62,467 (0.4 %). We say "more" or "less" only when the difference is statistically clear (two-proportion test, 95%); otherwise "similar".
Decisions over 12 months
In plain words
Fewer than 1 in 100 cases this judge decided got relief (4 of 1,144).
5 of every 10 cases were decided in absentia, without the person at the hearing. Going to your hearing is the most important thing you can do.
With and without an attorney, the share with relief was similar (0.7 % and 0.0 %).
Of their 1,144 decisions, 4 ended with relief, 65 with the case closed, 126 with voluntary departure and 949 with a removal order.
| Outcome | Decisions | % |
|---|---|---|
| Relief | 4 | 0.4 % |
| Case closed | 65 | 5.7 % |
| Voluntary departure | 126 | 11.0 % |
| Removal order | 949 | 83.0 % |
| Decided in absentia | 588 | 51.4 % |
This judge, the court and the nation
With Kenneth Shahan, the share of cases with relief is 0.4 %: similar than at the Dallas court (0.4 %) and lower than nationwide (2.4 %).
With Kenneth Shahan, the share of removal orders is 83.0 %: lower than at the Dallas court (87.0 %) and higher than nationwide (75.6 %).
With Kenneth Shahan, the share of cases decided in absentia is 51.4 %: lower than at the Dallas court (72.2 %) and higher than nationwide (45.3 %).
With Kenneth Shahan, the share of people with an attorney is 47.5 %: higher than at the Dallas court (21.9 %) and higher than nationwide (38.1 %).
Cases with Kenneth Shahan take less time than at the Dallas court: a median of 798 days versus 926.
Compared with other judges
- Ranked 19 of 31 for relief among the judges of their court (1 = most relief).
- Ranked 19 of 31 for cases decided in absentia (1 = most in absentia).
- Ranked 6 of 31 for speed (1 = fastest).
- Grants relief more often than 15 of every 100 judges nationwide (among 850 judges with 50 or more decisions).
Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)
The busiest month was Feb 2026 (362 decisions) and the quietest Apr 2026 (0).
| Month | Decisions | Relief | In absentia | Vs. prior month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 50 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 63 | 0 | 8 | up |
| Nov 2025 | 50 | 1 | 5 | down |
| Dec 2025 | 48 | 1 | 10 | down |
| Jan 2026 | 192 | 1 | 110 | up |
| Feb 2026 | 362 | 0 | 220 | up |
| Mar 2026 | 216 | 0 | 158 | down |
| Apr 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 | down |
| May 2026 | 3 | 0 | 0 | up |
| Jun 2026 | 9 | 0 | 0 | up |
| Jul 2026 | 17 | 0 | 0 | up |
| Aug 2026 | 134 | 0 | 76 | up |
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 Kenneth Shahan is Mexico (325), followed by Venezuela, Honduras, Guatemala and Cuba. The highest share with relief was for people from Guatemala (1.5 %).
| Country of origin | Decisions | Relief | In absentia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 325 | 0.3 % | 68.0 % |
| Venezuela | 274 | 0.0 % | 53.3 % |
| Honduras | 142 | 0.7 % | 50.0 % |
| Guatemala | 69 | 1.5 % | 52.2 % |
| Cuba | 67 | 0.0 % | 13.4 % |
Only countries with 25 or more decisions with this judge; cases without a recorded nationality are not included.
With and without an attorney
| Decisions | Relief | |
|---|---|---|
| With an attorney | 543 | 0.7 % |
| Without an attorney | 601 | 0.0 % |
Where this judge decides
- Dallas Immigration Court: 1,074 decisions (93.9 %)
- Oakdale Immigration Court: 50 decisions (4.4 %)
- Otero Immigration Court: 14 decisions (1.2 %)
- Chicago Immigration Court: 5 decisions (0.4 %)
- LaSalle Immigration Court: 1 decisions (0.1 %)