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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
PHOENIX DOWNTOWN
Region 09Rank #103 of 160
Avg processing
268days
+4 vs national
Processing time
268
8.9 months
Hearing wait
8.5
months (current)
Cases pending
1,458
FY receipts
1,256
FY dispositions
1,204
Active judges
6
Video hearings
—
Avg approval rate
62.5%
+4.7 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.04
Growing
Rank
#103
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 73 daysAvg · 264 daysSlowest · 673 days
The draw · approval spread across 6 judges
30%
77%
0%Median 67.2%100%
At PHOENIX DOWNTOWN, approval rates range from 30.1% (Alegre, Dante M.) to 76.5% (Davis, Charles) — a 46-pointspread. Assignment is effectively the luck of the draw, so the judge a case lands with can matter more than the office’s average. Plan for the median (67.2%), not the best case.
Judges at PHOENIX DOWNTOWN (6)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis, Charles | 76.5% | 264 | 202 | 62 | |
| Gaffney, John | 76.0% | 321 | 244 | 77 | |
| Fletcher, Guy E. | 72.8% | 158 | 115 | 43 | |
| Paternoster, Sasha | 61.5% | 91 | 56 | 35 | |
| Waters, Carla L | 43.6% | 202 | 88 | 114 | |
| Alegre, Dante M. | 30.1% | 176 | 53 | 123 |