New York · est. 2013Friday, September 4, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Immigration judges

Ellen Karesh

Immigration Judge, Charlotte Immigration Court. Appointed October 2021.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Karesh89.1%
Charlotte court86.7%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
350
Asylum granted
34
Other relief granted
4
Denied
312
Against own court
+2.4 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY25FY26
91%96%

Read from TRAC's chart to the nearest point. Years with fewer than 25 decisions are not shown.

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 84% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Honduras (22%), Mexico (12%), Brazil (11.7%), Guatemala (11.7%), Colombia (9.4%).

Official biography

Ellen L. Karesh was appointed as a Unit Chief Immigration Judge to begin supervisory immigration court duties and hearing cases in October 2021. Judge Karesh ear ned a Bachelor of Science in 1990 from the University of South Carolina and a Juris Doctor in 1993 from the University of South Carolina School of Law. From 1995 to 2021, she served as a Berkeley County Summary Court Judge, in South Carolina. From 1994 to 2004, she worked in private practice, in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Judge Karesh is a member of the South Carolina Bar.

As published by the Executive Office for Immigration Review at appointment, via TRAC.

In the record

No published reporting or appellate decisions naming this judge have been collected yet.

Other judges at Charlotte

Court page →

About these figures. Denial rates describe outcomes in the cases a judge happened to hear, which differ by detention, nationality and representation. They are not a measure of fairness or competence. Method and sources are on the judges index.