Christina T. Shay

How Judge Shay rules, drawn from 3 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

Court
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Position
magistrate
Appointed by
Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Commissioned
2026-06-08
Education
Harvard University, A.B., 2002; New York University School of Law, J.D., 2005
Signed orders read
3

How Judge Shay decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

In one alien-detainee habeas matter, Shay ordered a bond hearing after the government conceded that the petitioner appeared to belong to a class entitled to consideration for release under Section 1226(a).

“Respondents concede in their Answer that ‘Petitioner appears to be a member of the Bond Eligible Class’”

In another habeas matter, she granted release and prospective hearing protections where the government expressly declined to oppose the requested relief and offered no lawful basis for continued custody.

“If Respondents—those responsible for holding Petitioner in custody—do not put forward any lawful basis to justify that custody, it would violate the party presentation principle for this Court to generate reasons on its own.”

Procedural preferences

Shay treated the court's expedited habeas schedule and advance-removal notice as adequate interim protection unless the petitioner showed imminent irreparable harm requiring still faster relief.

“Petitioner has not shown that he faces such ‘imminent, irreparable harm’ that an even more expedited schedule is called for than that set in this case.”

Cautions

A request for temporary emergency relief was denied where an existing expedited schedule and advance-removal notice preserved the status quo during the habeas proceedings.

“Petitioner therefore has not shown irreparable harm warranting a TRO during the pendency of his habeas proceedings.”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Sandoval Cardenas v. Acting Warden of the Adelanto Detention Center
5:26-cv-03730 · 2026-07-24
Habeas petition (petitioner) Granted in part

“The Petition is GRANTED to the extent it seeks a finding that Petitioner is entitled to an individualized bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a)”

Noriega-Gastelum v. Marin
5:26-cv-03933 · 2026-07-16
Motion for temporary restraining order (petitioner) Denied

“Accordingly, Petitioner’s TRO Application is DENIED.”

Meza Gutierrez v. Warden
5:26-cv-04038 · 2026-07-29
Habeas petition (petitioner) Granted

“The Petition is GRANTED”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

All 32 post-appointment assigned matters were alien-detainee habeas petitions. Five case-level records were terminated and 27 remained open at review; several open matters had already received a petition ruling but awaited later status or closure entries.

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Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Shay, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.

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