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

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

Immigration judges

Rachel A. Ruane

Immigration Judge, Los Angeles-North Los Angeles St. Immigration Court. Appointed December 2010 by Eric Holder.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Ruane70.1%
Los Angeles - North court65.4%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
211
Asylum granted
20
Other relief granted
43
Denied
148
Against own court
+4.7 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY25FY26
46%85%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 82% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (18.5%), China (15.2%), Colombia (11.8%), Mexico (11.4%), El Salvador (6.2%).

Official biography

Attorney General Eric Holder appointed Judge Ruane in December 2010. Judge Ruane received a bachelor of arts degree in 1997 from Wesleyan University and a juris doctorate in 2001 from Emory University School of Law. From 2003 to December 2010, she served the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of the Chief Counsel in Los Angeles, Calif., in various roles: from 2008 to December 2010, as deputy chief counsel, from 2007 to 2008, as a senior attorney, and from 2003 to 2007, as assistant chief counsel. From 2002 to 2003, Judge Ruane was an attorney advisor for the Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) in Los Angeles, Calif. From 2001 to 2002, she worked as a judicial law clerk for EOIR in Boston. Judge Ruane is a member of the State Bar of Massachusetts.

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 Los Angeles - North

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.