Category Archives: U.S. Supreme Court

Moncrieffe v. Holder, small amount of marijuana is not an aggravated felony

Moncrieffe, a Jamaican citizen legally in the U.S., was found with 1.3 grams of marijuana in his car. He pleaded guilty under Georgia law to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a noncitizen … Continue reading

Posted in Aggravated felony, Cancellation of Removal, Deportation for Drug Crimes, Marijuana Possession, U.S. Supreme Court | Leave a comment

Padilla v. Kentucky does not apply retroactively to cases already final on direct review

In Chaidez v. United States, the Court held that Padilla v. Kentucky, in which the Court held that the Sixth Amendment requires defense attorneys to inform criminal defendants of the deportation risks of guilty pleas, does not apply retroactively to cases already … Continue reading

Posted in Guilty Pleas, ineffective assistance of counsel, Padilla, Padilla v. Kentucky, U.S. Supreme Court | Tagged | Leave a comment

Each alien seeking cancellation of removal must fulfill the residency requirements on their own. Holder v. Martinez Gutierrez

A Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denial of cancellation of removal is upheld, where: 1) the aliens lacked the required years of continuous presence and lawful permanent resident status; and 2) the BIA’s rejection of imputation of their parents’ years … Continue reading

Posted in 8 U.S. C. 1229(a), Cancellation of Removal, U.S. Supreme Court | Tagged | Leave a comment

Vartelas v. Holder (03/28/2012) – Supreme Court

The court held that if the basis for inadmissibility is a pre-April 1, 1997 plea, and if the LPR’s trip/s outside the U.S., taken at any time, are “brief, casual and innocent,” then the person is treated like a returning … Continue reading

Posted in 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(13)(C)(v), Rights of lawful permanent residents, Rosenberg v. Fleuti, U.S. Supreme Court | Leave a comment

Seventh Circuit Upholds Warrantless Search of Cell Phones-USA v. Abel Flores-Lopez

Police currently have wide latitude to search the contents of cell phones – including text messages, voice mails, photos, Internet browsing history, and reams of other data – when searching an arrestee incident to arrest. In the Flores-Lopez case, an … Continue reading

Posted in Fourth Amendment, GPS Surveillance, U.S. Supreme Court, Uncategorized | Leave a comment