Cen v. Attorney General — immigration — reversal — Krause
The Third Circuit today struck down an immigration regulation, and it’s hard for me to imagine what possessed the government to take the position it did. Here’s the introduction from today’s opinion:
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) allows a child under the age of twenty-one whose alien parent has married a U.S. citizen abroad to obtain a temporary “K-4” visa to accompany her parent to the United States and, based on the parent’s marriage, to apply to adjust her status to that of a lawful permanent resident. On a petition for review of a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), we now consider the validity of a regulation that makes it impossible for a child who entered on such a visa to remain with her family and adjust her status from within the United States if she was over the age of eighteen at the time of her parent’s marriage. Because the regulation departs from the plain language of the INA, contravenes congressional intent, and exceeds the permissible scope of the Attorney General’s regulatory authority, we conclude it is invalid. We therefore will grant the petition for review and will reverse and remand to the BIA for further proceedings.
The Seventh Circuit struck down the same regulation in 2013, but the government has continued to enforce it outside that circuit. The Third Circuit today held that the regulation failed at step two of Chevron analysis. The opinion is thorough, and vigorous: “the Government’s reading of § 1255(d) would transform K-4 visas for older K-4 children into nothing more than tourist visas, giving their holders only a glimpse of what life with their families might have been like in America before being sent home because they are legally incapable of fulfilling § 1255(a)(2)’s eligibility requirement. Such a reading defies common sense.”
Joining Krause were Shwartz and Greenberg. Arguing counsel were Scott Bratton for the petitioner and Robert Stalzer for the government.
1621 Rt 22 West Operating Co. v. NLRB — labor — affirmance — Jordan
If I were a circuit judge, would I be a little nervous about ruling against a party represented a Supreme Court Justice’s sister? I might. But that’s what the Third Circuit fearlessly did today, ruling in favor of the NLRB in a case where arguing counsel for the petitioner was Rosemary Alito, the Justice’s younger sister and quite a formidible lawyer in her own right.
The appeal arose out of a workplace union election. After the NLRB ruled that the employer engaged in anti-union activities, the employer argued for the first time on appeal that the NLRB’s acting general counsel was serving illegally and therefore his complaint and all that followed were invalid. The Third Circuit held that it lacked jurisdiction to hear this argument because it was not exhausted. The court also rejected the employer’s arguments that an NLRB member should have recused because his chief counsel had previously represented the union in this case but did not participate in the NLRB’s review, that its labor practices were legal, and that the NLRB imposed the wrong remedy.
Joining Jordan, who has been on an opinion tear lately, were Ambro and Scirica. Arguing counsel were Alito of K&L Gates for the employer and Jeffrey Burritt and Benjamin Shultz for the government.