Who decides cases at this office
The Mobile panel consists of 11 judges with a moderate spread in their allowance rates, which range from 58% to 93%. Because cases are assigned randomly, you cannot choose your judge, and each weighs evidence differently. This variation means your file must be robust enough to stand on its own merits regardless of who presides over your session.
| Rank | Judge | Approval Rate | Total Decisions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D. Burgess Stalley | 81% | 20,707 | |
| 2 | Thomas M. Muth | 78% | 308 | |
| 3 | Ben E. Sheely | 76% | 23,244 | |
| 4 | Kim McClain-Leazure | 76% | 2,321 | |
| 5 | Roger A. Nelson | 74% | 21,907 | |
| 6 | Warren L. Hammond Jr. | 72% | 14,134 | |
| 7 | Alan E. Michel | 71% | 11,139 | |
| 8 | Thomas M. Muth II | 69% | 21,154 | |
| 9 | David R. Murchison | 68% | 24,289 | |
| 10 | Laura L. Robinson | 64% | 26,728 | |
| 11 | Marni R. McCaghren | 63% | 22,878 | |
| 12 | Daniel S. Campbell | 63% | 18,674 | |
| 13 | Tracy S. Guice | 62% | 23,355 | |
| 14 | James F. Barter | 56% | 22,009 | |
| 15 | Robert Waller | 54% | 22,800 | |
| 16 | Paul Reams | 53% | 9,069 | |
| 17 | Kevin Boucher | 51% | 21,504 | |
| 18 | L. D. Pischek | 29% | 8,022 |
Former & transferred judges
SSA rosters change as judges retire, transfer, or move to national assignments. These judges previously decided Social Security disability cases from this location but are not on the current roster. Their full public decision records are on their profiles.
How long you'll wait
At Mobile, the average wait from hearing request to written decision is 7 months— versus a national average of 8 months. Here's how it's tracked month by month over the past 16 months.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Going to your hearing
Because your hearing date may arrive faster than the national average, you should prioritize gathering your medical evidence immediately. You will typically spend time before an ALJ who will evaluate your medical history and daily limitations. A vocational expert will often testify regarding your ability to perform past work or transition to new roles. Bring your updated medical records, a detailed log of your daily activities, and a list of your current medications and their side effects. If you have witness statements from family or coworkers, ensure they are submitted well before the deadline. Your final decision will arrive by mail after the hearing concludes.
Hearings at this office come up quickly, leaving little room for error once your date is set. Even with a high local allowance rate, cases often fail if the record lacks the specific medical evidence needed to counter the vocational expert's testimony. A legal representative can pressure-test your file against the standards of this specific panel to ensure no critical information is missing.
Field offices that route cases here
If your hearing is at Mobile, your case originated at one of the SSA field offices below — the local intake counter where you (or a representative) filed the initial application. Field offices don't decide hearings, but they hold your file, issue benefit-payment notices, and field the day-to-day questions during your wait.