Appointed November 2023 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
2 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Alison E Daw earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1985 from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor in 1988 from Georgetown University Law Center. She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, worked in private practice, and had previously served as an immigration judge in the Los Angeles and San Francisco immigration courts.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
336
Completions per year
2,018 total
9.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
15.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
12.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 15 appeals — too few
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
20%⚠
Bond requests granted
30 bond decisions Too few cases
$5,000
Median bond when set
29 bonds with amounts
33.3%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 20%
Court average 50% · median $20,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
80.6%
397 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
24.2%
120 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
50%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
71.4%⚠
21 decisions Too few cases
80.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 397 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
80.6%
This court
66%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 4% of the 825 judges nationally with enough cases to compare.
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyerrepresented · 336 decisions since 2021
80.4%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 61 decisions since 2021
82%
Asylum grant rate over time
Each point is that calendar year's grant rate, back to 2015 where the judge was deciding cases — the longer career view. Dashed grey line = current national average (31.8%). Headline rates above use 2021 – today.
Courts where this judge has decided cases
Hearing locations for cases this judge completed since 2021, by number of decisions.
Many judges hear cases from more than one court (detained facilities, video dockets, or reassignments).