| Luna Torres v. Lynch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued November 3, 2015 Decided May 19, 2016 | |
| Full case name | Jorge Luna Torres, Petitioner v. Loretta E. Lynch, Attorney General |
| Docket no. | 14–1096 |
| Citations | 578 U.S. ___ (more) 136 S. Ct. 1619; 194 L. Ed. 2d 737 |
| Opinion announcement | Opinion announcement |
| Holding | |
| Section 1101(a)(43) of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, which includes "aggravated felony" as a possible reason for deporting a non-citizen, can include state offenses, if all of the elements of the federal crime are met, with the exception of the interstate or foreign commerce requirement.[1] | |
| Court membership | |
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| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Kagan, joined by Roberts, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Alito |
| Dissent | Sotomayor, joined by Thomas, Breyer |
| Laws applied | |
| Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 | |
Luna Torres v. Lynch, 578 U.S. ___ (2016), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court decided the interpretation of section 1101(a)(43) of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which includes "aggravated felony" as a possible reason for deporting a non-citizen. The INA specifies certain offenses described in the federal criminal code as qualifying as an aggravated felony. The question before the court was if the plaintiff Jorge Luna Torres, who had been convicted under a state arson statute mostly identical to the federal statute but lacking an interstate or foreign commerce element in the federal law, fell under this definition of aggravated felony. The Court affirmed the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit original decision: the difference was merely "jurisdictional", and Torres still qualified for the accelerated deportation process described under the INA.