Melissa Beth Karlen
Immigration Judge, Phoenix Immigration Court. Appointed October 2019 by William P. Barr.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 472
- Asylum granted
- 94
- Other relief granted
- 32
- Denied
- 346
- Against own court
- -11.7 pts
| FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94% | 61% | 72% | 40% | 73% | 87% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 90% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: Mexico (35.2%), Guatemala (16.3%), Venezuela (9.5%), Honduras (7.8%), Colombia (4.4%).
Official biography
Attorney General William Barr appointed Melissa B. Karlen to begin hearing cases in October 2019. Judge Karlen ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1998 from the University of California,Riverside, and a Juris Doctor in 2001 from University of San Francisco School of Law. From2008 to 2019, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, Department of Justice, in Phoenix. From 2007 to 2008, she served as an assistant chief counsel, Office of the Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor,Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Los Angeles. From 2002 to 2007, she served as a deputy prosecuting attorney with the City and County of Honolulu Prosecutor's Office, in Honolulu. From 2001 to 2002, she worked in private practice,in San Francisco. Judge Karlen is a member of the Arizona State Bar, California State Bar,Hawaii State Bar, and Washington State Bar.
In the record
No published reporting or appellate decisions naming this judge have been collected yet.
Other judges at Phoenix
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.