Approval rates
Comparing your judge's approval rate to the broader bench provides a baseline for understanding the hearing environment. While your judge's 39% approval rate on record since 2016 reflects a specific history, the 21% to 92% range among other judges at the Montgomery office highlights the variance in outcomes. Latest-period data shows your judge at 49% approval, compared to the office-wide rate of 71%.
Office- and national-level breakdowns of fully favorable vs denial rates aren't currently published by SSA in the per-office disposition data. The judge's own breakdown is the detail we have today.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Latham's docket. Annual rates fluctuate with the mix of cases SSA assigns; the longer-run pattern is more informative than any single year.
Decision pattern
Your judge's approval rate has fluctuated since 2016. After an initial period of lower approval rates, your judge saw an uptick in 2022 and 2023, followed by a decline in 2024 and a return to higher levels in 2025 and 2026. With 3,740 total decisions on record, these shifts illustrate how case mix and evidence quality influence annual outcomes.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Latham's bench. Judge-specific preparation guidance requires a corpus of public Appeals Council decisions involving each judge, which we haven't built yet.
- Bring a clean treating-physician record. Longitudinal primary-care or specialist notes spanning the disability period, with consistent symptom documentation, are typically the strongest evidence at hearing. A single month's records usually aren't enough.
- Don't rely on consultative exams alone. If your medical evidence is built primarily around a one-time CE finding, expect detailed questioning. Supplement with treating-source statements where possible.
- Prepare for daily-activity questions. Have honest, specific answers about a typical day. Answers that conflict with the medical record (in either direction) tend to hurt credibility.
- Expect transferable-skills probing. A vocational expert will usually testify about jobs available to someone with your limitations. Your representative should be prepared to cross-examine.
About the Montgomery hearing office
Carol L. Latham's most recent office on record is the Montgomery hearing office, with decisions there through July 2026. This office serves claimants across Alabama. With 17 judges on the bench, the office maintains a latest-period approval rate of 71%. You can expect a formal administrative process where evidence quality is the primary driver of your outcome.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Montgomery
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you draw is essentially random. There are 17 judges whose most recent office on record is the Montgomery hearing office. Approval rates across this bench vary significantly, ranging from 21% to 92% on their since-2016 records.
Approval rates change 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.
Frequently asked questions
Judge Latham's 39% approval rate since 2016 sits within the 21% to 92% range observed among the 17 judges whose most recent office on record is the Montgomery hearing office. Because case assignment is random, working with an attorney can help you prepare your case effectively.
Yes, the approval rate has fluctuated over the years. It started at 33% in 2016 and reached 50% in 2025, with the most recent partial data for 2026 showing a 49% approval rate. These variations are common and often reflect changes in the types of cases heard, and an attorney can help you navigate these trends.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases to judges, ensuring that the process remains impartial. An attorney can help you prepare regardless of your assigned judge.
An approval rate is a statistical summary of past decisions, not a prediction of your specific outcome. Your case's success depends on the medical evidence and testimony you present at your hearing, which is why having an attorney can help you organize your evidence.
