What is Judge Michael Schnitzer's background?
EOIR's notice says that Michael Schnitzer was appointed in June 2020. Judge Schnitzer earned a Bachelor of Science in 1994 from The Ohio State University and a Juris Doctor in 1997 from the John Marshall School of Law. From 2016 to 2020, he served as an assistant chief counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Phoenix. From 2012 to 2016, he served in the Illinois Office of the Attorney General, as a bureau chief for the Revenue Litigation Department, assistant bureau chief for the Department of Employment Security, and assistant attorney general in the Court of Claims. From 1998 to 2012, he was in private practice, in Chicago.
What does TRAC report about Judge Michael Schnitzer's asylum decisions?
TRAC, a research center that began at Syracuse University, reports that for FY 2021 - 2026 (data covers the first 9 months of fiscal year 2026), Judge Michael Schnitzer decided 212 asylum cases at Eloy Immigration Court and denied 89.6 percent, based on its report of Aug 27, 2026. These are past figures for one court. They do not predict your case, which turns on your facts, evidence, nationality and representation, and TRAC cautions against simple comparisons between judges at different courts. Read the full report at TRAC, and talk to a lawyer about your own case.
What the official record establishes
The source lists the name Michael Schnitzer in 1 alphabetical row. The recorded title is Immigration Judge. The record is not an appointment history or an employment certification.
Dated court associations
EOIR’s court-specific tables associate this entry with Eloy Immigration Court; Phoenix Immigration Court. The relationship is recorded as listed 2026-10-20; it may include supervisory coverage rather than a merits-hearing assignment.