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 Kenneth Sogabe earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 and a Master of Arts in 1996 from San Francisco State University, and a Juris Doctor in 2001 from Golden Gate University School of Law. He served as an assistant chief counsel with ICE's Office of the Principal Legal Advisor in San Francisco (2001-2006), as a staff attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2007-2014), and as an attorney advisor with CBP's Office of Chief Counsel (2014-2018). From 2018 to 2021 he was associate general counsel for the Department of Defense Education Activity in Okinawa, Japan. He is a member of the State Bar of California.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,080
Completions per year
6,480 total
1.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
18.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
25.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
18.6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
3.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
761 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.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
1 bond decision Too few cases
—
Median bond when set
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
13%
1,906 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
4.8%
3,011 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
33.3%⚠
48 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
83.3%⚠
30 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
94.6%
186 decisions Moderate
13%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,906 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
13%
This court
23.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 26% 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 · 813 decisions since 2021
26.1%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 1,093 decisions since 2021
3.3%
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).