The entire case centered on the word ‘a’
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of an illegal immigrant who was facing deportation, stating that they are entitled to discretionary relief because the government did not follow the rules.
Federal law says that an illegal immigrant in such a situation can avoid deportation at the attorney general’s discretion if they have been in the U.S. for at least 10 years. The clock officially stops when they receive “a notice to appear” with information about their hearing. But in cases like plaintiff Agusto Niz-Chavez’s, the government sent multiple documents containing different pieces of information. The court’s majority ruled that because the law says “a” notice, that means it must be a single document.
“At one level, today’s dispute may seem semantic, focused on a single word, a small one at that,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the court’s opinion. “But words are how the law constrains power. In this case, the law’s terms ensure that, when the federal government seeks a procedural advantage against an individual, it will at least supply him with a single and reasonably comprehensive statement of the nature of the proceedings against him.”
