Steve Kim
How Judge Kim decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In immigration-detention habeas cases, when the government files an answer that concedes or fails to rebut the merits of the petitioner's detention claim and instead argues only for a narrower remedy (such as a bond hearing rather than release), he treats that as a waiver of any broader defense and grants the release the petitioner actually sought -- in Harkrishan Singh's case, the government did not dispute that his re-detention was unlawful but merely asserted he was 'at most' entitled to a bond hearing under a separate class action; the court held that bare assertion could not carry the weight the government wanted and granted release outright.
“Where the ‘government does not offer any argument on the merits’ of the petition here, ‘it has waived any challenge to the arguments [] raised.’ ... So respondents’ raw assertion cannot carry the necessary weight—or do the responsible work—they seem to think it can.”
He is careful not to grant emergency injunctive relief that would effectively decide the merits of a habeas petition before the expedited merits schedule runs its course, even when a detainee's TRO application seeks the same release sought in the underlying petition.
“‘judgment on the merits in the guise of preliminary relief is a highly inappropriate result.’ ... Whether Petitioner’s present confinement is lawful is the core merits question in the habeas petition and is best resolved through the expedited merits review established by General Order 26-05.”
He reads jurisdiction-stripping and jurisdiction-channeling statutes strictly against creative attempts to route around them -- in a former military prisoner's bid for compassionate release under the civilian First Step Act, he held that the statute's text and the settled distinction between civilian and court-martial sentencing regimes left no room for the requested relief, regardless of how sympathetic the underlying facts.
“because ‘§ 3582 does not specifically provide that it is applicable to UCMJ defendants,’ § 3551(a) deprives federal courts of jurisdiction to grant compassionate release to convicted military inmates under the First Step Act.”
Procedural preferences
On his consent Social Security docket he consistently decides the parties' Joint Stipulation on the papers, without oral argument.
“ORDER re Procedures in Social Security Appeal (Joint Submission Format) by Judge Steve Kim. Plaintiff will promptly serve the summons and complaint on the government in accordance with Rule 4(i) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.”
In his fast-growing 2241 immigration-detention docket, when the government disregards one of his orders (such as a prior order enjoining removal), he moves quickly from a written order to an in-person order to show cause on contempt, rather than letting a violation go unaddressed.
“MINUTES (IN CHAMBERS) ORDER (1) GRANTING MOTION TO ENFORCE COURT ORDER ...; (2) REQUIRING RESPONDENTS TO SHOW CAUSE RE: CONTEMPT by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. Given Respondents disregard for the Courts order enjoining removal, the Court GRANTS Petitioners Second Motion to Enforce Court Order ... counsel for Respondents is ORDERED to appear in person ... to show cause why the Government should not be held in contempt.”
Cautions
He will dismiss a habeas petition with prejudice for failure to prosecute once a petitioner ignores an order to show cause, even where the petitioner is proceeding pro se -- counsel and self-represented litigants alike must keep the court informed and respond to deadlines or risk losing the case outright.
“MINUTES (IN CHAMBERS) ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE: OPPOSITION TO MOTION TO DISMISS by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. THEREFORE, Petitioner is ORDERED TO SHOW CAUSE ... why the Court should not dismiss the Petition for failure to file the required opposition, for untimeliness, and for lack of prosecution.”
He denies emergency relief 'without prejudice' rather than closing the door outright when the request is procedurally premature, signaling that the same relief may still be available once the merits are properly reached.
“Petitioner’s request for immediate release from custody through the application for temporary restraining order is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE. Nothing in that order, however, is intended to foreshadow the Court’s view on the merits of the petition.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. IT IS ADJUDGED that the petition for writ of habeas corpus is denied and the action dismissed with prejudice.”
“ORDER DISMISSING PETITION AS MOOT by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. Because Petitioner has been released from federal custody, his Petition is moot. THEREFORE, the Petition is ordered DISMISSED, and Judgment shall be entered accordingly.”
“ORDER OF REMAND by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the above-captioned action is remanded to the Commissioner of Social Security for further proceedings consistent with the terms of the Stipulation of Remand.”
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. It is the judgment of this Court that the decision of the Administrative Law Judge is AFFIRMED. Judgment is hereby entered in favor of defendant.”
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. IT IS ADJUDGED that this action is reversed and remanded for further proceedings pursuant to Sentence Four of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) and consistent with the accompanying Opinion and Order.”
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. IT IS ADJUDGED that this action is reversed and remanded for further proceedings pursuant to Sentence Four of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) and consistent with the accompanying Opinion and Order.”
“JUDGMENT OF REMAND by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the above-captioned action is remanded to the Commissioner of Social Security for further proceedings consistent with the Stipulation to Remand.”
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. IT IS ADJUDGED that this action is reversed and remanded to the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration for further proceedings.”
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. IT IS ADJUDGED that the petition for writ oh habeas corpus is dismissed and the action dismissed without prejudice.”
“JUDGMENT by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. Related to: Order Dismissing Petition. IT IS ADJUDGED that the petition for writ of habeas corpus is dismissed and that this action is dismissed with prejudice.”
“ORDER DISMISSING ACTION FOR LACK OF JURISDICTION by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. ... Section 1252(g) of the INA removes the Courts jurisdiction to review that discretionary enforcement decision. Therefore, the temporary restraining order (ECF No. 9) is dissolved, the request for a preliminary injunction (ECF No. 11) is denied, and the Complaint and Petition (ECF No. 1) are ordered dismissed.”
“ORDER OF DISMISSAL by Magistrate Judge Steve Kim, re Stipulation to Dismiss Case. The above captioned matter is dismissed with prejudice, each party to bear its own fees, costs, and expenses.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
A sample of his assigned cases drawn from the docket record. His longest-running docket is consent Social Security disability appeals (42 U.S.C. 405(g)), heavily represented from 2015-2016 as he took over his predecessor's pending consent cases, and continuing today, with recent filings often ending in either a contested merits ruling or a negotiated stipulated remand. He has run a substantial consent habeas corpus docket since his earliest years on the bench, covering both state-custody (2254) petitions and federal/immigration-custody (2241) petitions; since 2025-2026 that docket has grown quickly, dominated by 28 U.S.C. 2241 petitions challenging immigration detention, several resolved within weeks as unopposed petitions and others after contested briefing or an evidentiary hearing on indefinite-detention claims. He also carries a general civil calendar of ADA Title III access suits, contract and product-liability removals, trademark disputes, and an occasional environmental citizen suit resolved by consent decree, as an ordinary part of a Central District magistrate's docket.
Put Judge Kim's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Kim actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Kim's own signed orders and cites them.