Appointed March 2020 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General William P. Barr
6 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Charissa Dvorak earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1995, a Master of Arts in 1996, and a Juris Doctor in 1999, all from Baylor University, and a Master of Business Administration in 2010 from Houston Baptist University. From 2000 to 2011, she served as an assistant criminal district attorney in Texas, working in the Harris County, McLennan County, and Dallas County District Attorney's Offices. From 2012 to 2020 she was a lead investigator for the national non-profit GRACE in Lynchburg, Virginia, and from 2016 to 2020 she was an attorney with Spencer Fane LLP in Dallas. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and was appointed as an immigration judge in March 2020.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
2,620
Completions per year
15,723 total
4.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
38.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
25%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
4.9%
Appeals remanded or reversed
102 appeals decided
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
6.7%⚠
Bond requests granted
15 bond decisions Too few cases
$2,000
Median bond when set
1 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 6.7%
Court average 24% · median $10,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
12.1%
643 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
5.6%
1,173 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
8.1%
74 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
92.3%⚠
13 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
78%
59 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
94.3%
211 decisions High confidence
12.1%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 643 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
12.1%
This court
14.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 24% 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 · 544 decisions since 2021
14%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 99 decisions since 2021
2%
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.
* 2026 is a partial year (data through 06/01/2026) and is incomplete.
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).