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 Shane E. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from the University of Idaho College of Law. He served in the U.S. Navy as a deep-sea diver from 1988 to 1994 and later as a judge advocate from 2002 to 2018. He was appointed to the Seattle Immigration Court in March 2019. He is a member of the State Bar of North Dakota.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,070
Completions per year
6,422 total
2.1%
Detained at decision
share of cases
39.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
20.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
18.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
6.8%
Appeals remanded or reversed
118 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
16.2%
1,701 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.2%
2,951 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
46.8%
141 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
37.5%⚠
8 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
95.4%
65 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
87.7%
146 decisions Moderate
16.2%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,701 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
16.2%
This court
23.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 34% 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 · 1,310 decisions since 2021
20.3%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 391 decisions since 2021
2.3%
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).