SCOTUS Limits Appeals Courts’ Power to Overturn Asylum Denials in Unanimous Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a decisive win for the Trump administration Wednesday, ruling unanimously that federal appeals courts must defer to immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals when evaluating whether an asylum-seeker’s claims meet the legal standard of persecution.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson authored the 9‑0 opinion, affirming that courts must apply the “substantial-evidence” standard when reviewing agency determinations.
The ruling makes clear that appellate courts must respect immigration officials’ findings when supported by reasonable, substantial, and probative evidence.
“We conclude that the statute requires application of the substantial-evidence standard to the agency’s conclusion that a given set of undisputed facts does not constitute persecution,” Jackson wrote.
The case involved Douglas Humberto Urias-Orellana, his wife Sayra Iliana Gamez-Mejia, and their child, who fled El Salvador in 2021 after claiming they were targeted by a cartel hitman.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson authored the 9‑0 opinion, affirming that courts must apply the “substantial-evidence” standard when reviewing agency determinations.
The ruling makes clear that appellate courts must respect immigration officials’ findings when supported by reasonable, substantial, and probative evidence.
“We conclude that the statute requires application of the substantial-evidence standard to the agency’s conclusion that a given set of undisputed facts does not constitute persecution,” Jackson wrote.
The case involved Douglas Humberto Urias-Orellana, his wife Sayra Iliana Gamez-Mejia, and their child, who fled El Salvador in 2021 after claiming they were targeted by a cartel hitman.
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