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

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

Immigration judges

Philip S. Law

Immigration Judge, San Diego Immigration Court. Appointed May 1997.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Law24.1%
San Diego court54.6%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
137
Asylum granted
73
Other relief granted
31
Denied
33
Against own court
-30.5 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23
43%22%12%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 83% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (21.9%), Russia (13.1%), Mexico (10.2%), Iraq (5.1%), Nigeria (4.4%).

Official biography

Judge Law was appointed as an Immigration Judge in May 1997. Prior to his transfer to the Immigration Court in Houston in March 1999, Judge Law served as an Immigration Judge at the Immigration Court in Los Angeles, California. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976 from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Juris Doctorate in 1985 from South Texas College of Law in Houston. Prior to joining the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Judge Law was assistant district counsel, for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, in Houston, Texas. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

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 San Diego

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.