Orozco-Velasquez v. Attorney General — immigration — remand — Roth

The Third Circuit issued a late-in the day opinion granting an immigration petition for review and remanding with instructions for the immigration court to consider the petitioner’s application for cancellation of removal. The appeal turned on interpretation of the Immigration and Nationality Act’s “stop-time” rule, and the court expressly disagreed with other circuits’ interpretation of the rule.

Joining Roth were McKee and Ambro. Arguing counsel were Amanda Johnson of Dechert for appointed amicus petitioner (the petitioner was pro se) and Robert Tennyson Jr. for the government. The opinion expressed appreciation to Stuart Steinberg and former Van Antwerpen clerk Ryan Moore of Dechert for undertaking the amicus curiae assignment pro bono, and noted that law student Johnson argued “adeptly.” It was issued a year and a week after the oral argument.

UPDATE: Amanda Johnson argued the case as third-year law student participating in Penn Law’s federal appellate litigation externship, supervised by Professor Louis Rulli as well as counsel at Dechert. Here is a Penn Law news release with background on the case.