Sarah M. Ellison
Immigration Judge, Dallas Immigration Court. Appointed November 2018 by Jeff Sessions.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 347
- Asylum granted
- 108
- Other relief granted
- 103
- Denied
- 136
- Against own court
- -30.9 pts
| FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38% | 37% | 43% | 48% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 79% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: El Salvador (22.2%), Venezuela (15.3%), Honduras (13.3%), Nigeria (8.9%), Mexico (7.2%).
Official biography
Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Sarah M. Ellison to begin hearing cases in November 2018. Judge Ellison ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 2006 from the University of Mary Washington and a Juris Doctor in 2009 from St. Mary's University School of Law. From 2017 to2018, she served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Chief Counsel, Immigrationand Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Pearsall, Texas. From 2014 to2017, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas, Department of Justice, in Laredo, Texas. From 2010 to 2014, she served as an assistant district attorney with the District Attorney's Office, Bexar County, in San Antonio,Texas. From 2009 to 2010, she was an associate attorney with the Law Office of Steven C.Benke, in San Antonio. Judge Ellison is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
In the record
No published reporting or appellate decisions naming this judge have been collected yet.
Other judges at Dallas
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.