LexisNexis Expert Author Stephen W. Yale-Loehr: Supreme Court Ruling Makes Deportation Defense More Difficult (Law360)

Allissa Wickham, Law360, May 19, 2016 - "In a 5-3 ruling that displayed some unusual alliances — with Justices Clarence Thomas and Stephen Breyer joining a dissent by Justice Sonia Sotomayor — the Supreme Court ruled against George Luna, a Dominican immigrant who has been a green card holder for more than 30 years. ... Essentially, the Supreme Court’s wider interpretation of the term blocks more people from seeking relief, according to Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor with Cornell University Law School. “The ruling makes it harder for immigrants to seek deportation relief,” Yale-Loehr told Law360 in an email, adding that the “majority read the aggravated felony provisions more broadly than previous Supreme Court decisions. By broadening the interpretation of ‘aggravated felony,’ fewer people can now even apply for those kinds of relief.” ... The case is Luna Torres v. Lynch, case number 14-1096, in the U.S. Supreme Court. "