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United States Supreme Court

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SCOTUS Determines that Revocation of Visa Petition Approvals are not Challengeable in Federal Court

The Supreme Court has determined that federal courts lack jurisdiction to review the agency’s revocation of an approved visa petition. In so doing, the Court indicated that the revocation statute defines a purely discretion decision by the agency - that the agency is not obligated to revoke the approval of a petition that was approved in error.

The full text of Bouarfa v. Mayorkas can be found here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-583_onjq.pdf

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Supreme Court Finds Chevron Deference Incompatible with APA

The Supreme Court has determined that Chevron deference - a doctrine that accords deference to certain agency interpretations of statutes - is incompatible with the Administrative Procedure Act. “Chevron defies the command of the APA that ‘the reviewing court’—not the agency whose action it reviews—is to ‘decide all relevant questions of law and interpret statutory provisions.”

The full text of Lopez Bright v. Raimondo can be found here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-451_7m58.pdf

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Supreme Court Finds that US Citizen has not Protected Liberty Interest in Spouse's Visa

The Supreme Court has determined that a U.S. citizen does not a protected liberty interest in the adjudication of her spouse’s visa application, and thus, cannot use the procedural due process clause to obtain federal court review of the denial of that application. This decision may (sadly) close the door to one of the very few opportunities to obtain judicial review of visa denials in federal court and appears to be a whole hearted embrace by the Supreme Court of the doctrine of consular nonreviewability.

Apart from the legal reasoning in the opinion, the outcome seems out of step with the Biden Administration’s recent emphasis on family reunification, which is noteworthy as the Solicitor General, not Mrs. Munoz, sought Supreme Court review in this matter. In addition, just one week later, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Lopez Bright Enterprises, which emphasizes the role of federal courts in statutory interpretation and review of agency decisions under the Administrative Procedure Act. The Munoz and Loper Bright decisions seem philosophically at odds with one another.

The full text of Department of State v. Munoz can be found here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-334diff_q8l1.pdf

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Supreme Court Finds that Incomplete NTA does not Preclude Issuance of In Absentia Order

The Supreme Court has determined that an Immigration Judge may order removed in absentia a non-citizen who received a Notice to Appear lacking the time and date of his first hearing, if the Immigration Court subsequently mailed a notice of hearing to the individual with that information.

The full text of Campos-Chaves v. Garland can be found here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-674_bq7d.pdf

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Supreme Court Finds Hardship Determinations are Reviewable in Federal Court

The Supreme Court has determined that the “exceptional and extremely unusual hardship” standard in non-LPR cancellation of removal cases is a mixed question of fact and law, subject to federal court review. “The facts underlying any determination on cancellation of removal therefore remain unreviewable. For instance, an IJ’s factfinding on credibility, the seriousness of a family member’s medical condition, or the level of financial support a noncitizen currently provides remain unreviewable. Only the question whether those established facts satisfy the statutory eligibility standard is subject to judicial review. Because this mixed question is primarily factual, that review is deferential.”

The full text of Wilkinson v. Garland can be found here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-666diff_f2bh.pdf

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Supreme Court Interprets Exhaustion Requirement

The Supreme Court has determined that the exhaustion requirement in 8 USC 1252(d)(1) is a claims processing rule, not a jurisdictional bar. Thus, a party can forfeit or waive an objection to exhaustion. In addition, the Court found that the statute does not require the filing of a motion to reconsider with the Board of Immigration Appeals to give the agency to correct legal errors before filing a petition for review of those errors in federal court. Motions to reopen and reconsider are not remedies of right, and the exhaustion requirement only requires an appellant to seek remedies of right.

The full text of Santos Zacaria v. Garland can be found here: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-1436_n6io.pdf

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SCOTUS Finds No Statutory Requirement for Prolonged Detention Bond Hearings for Non-Citizens Subject to Reinstatement

The Supreme Court has determined that there is no statutory requirement to provide a bond hearing to an individual subject to a reinstated order of removal. The Court left open the possibility that such hearings might be required by the Constitution.

The full text of Johnson v. Arteaga-Martinez can be found here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-896_2135.pdf

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SCOTUS Eliminates Review of Factual Determinations Connected to Discretionary Relief

The Supreme Court has determined that federal courts lack jurisdiction to consider challenges to the agency’s factual findings in connection with certain types of discretionary relief (such as adjustment of status). Perhaps worse, both the majority and the dissent recognize that this decision will likely foreclose any review of denials of adjustment of status (including those denied based on legal determinations, rather than factual findings) outside of the removal context.

As the dissent recognizes, this is a terrible decision that effectively leaves applicants with no way to correct agency errors.

The full text of Patel v. Garland can be found here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-979_h3ci.pdf

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SCOTUS Finds that Reckless Crimes do not Qualify as Violent Felonies

The Supreme Court has determined that a reckless offense does not qualify as a violent felony under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). Because the definition of a violent felony under the ACCA and a crime of violence under the INA are often treated interchangeably, this decision should be applicable in immigration proceedings.

The full text of Borden v. United States can be found here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/19-5410_8nj9.pdf

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SCOTUS Finds that TPS is not an Admission

The Supreme Court has determined that a grant of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) does not, in and of itself, render a non-citizen “admitted” to the United States. The Court did not reach the question of whether a TPS holder who travels on parole would be considered “admitted or paroled” for the purpose of adjustment of status. In addition, the decision contains some very worrisome language implying that a grant of a U visa would not qualify as admission.

The full text of Sanchez v. Mayorkas can be found here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/20-315_q713.pdf

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Supreme Court Construes Stop-Time Rule (Again!)

The Supreme Court has determined that the time and place of a removal hearing must be included in a Notice to Appear - and not a subsequent notice of hearing - to trigger the stop-time rule for cancellation of removal. In so doing, the court overturns any circuit precedent permitting a so-called “two-step stop-time rule.”

The full text of Niz-Chavez v. Garland can be found here: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/19-863_new_5426.pdf

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