Appointed October 2021 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland(AG inferred from date)
4 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Karen W Schulz earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2006 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctor in 2010 from Santa Clara University School of Law. From 2010 to 2021 she worked as a private practitioner, managing attorney, and executive director for the StepForward Foundation in Morgan Hill, California. She is a member of the State Bar of California.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,109
Completions per year
6,654 total
4.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
37.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
10.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
4.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
14.3%
Appeals remanded or reversed
28 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.
50%⚠
Bond requests granted
4 bond decisions Too few cases
$5,500
Median bond when set
2 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 50%
Court average 26.3% · median $4,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
67.5%
810 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
7.8%
536 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
68%
128 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
80%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
93.9%⚠
49 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
84.8%
138 decisions Moderate
67.5%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 810 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
67.5%
This court
68.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 8% 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 · 780 decisions since 2021
69.1%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 30 decisions since 2021
26.7%
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).