Source: EOIR — Find an Immigration Court.
Recording an internet-based hearing is prohibited (8 C.F.R. § 1003.28). Respondents without a representative default to in-person hearings.
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Dorothy A Harbeck earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1984 from Wellesley College and a Juris Doctor in 1989 from Seton Hall University School of Law, and holds a certificate in trial advocacy from the National Institute of Trial Advocacy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Before her appointment to the bench, she was in private practice in Trenton and Red Bank, New Jersey, from 1990 to 2006, and served as a New Jersey Superior Court arbitrator and accredited mediator. She is a member of the New Jersey and New York bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,214
Completions per year
7,284 total
6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
19.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
21.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 19 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.
75.7%
Bond requests granted
107 bond decisions Moderate
$6,500
Median bond when set
81 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 75.7%
Court average 0% · 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
58.7%
1,062 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
8.6%
642 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
81.2%
85 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
66.7%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
99.1%
115 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
91.6%
95 decisions Moderate
58.7%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,062 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
58.7%
This court
57.3%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 13% 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 · 896 decisions since 2021
68.5%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 166 decisions since 2021
5.4%
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).