Docket Number: 97-1252
Appealed From: U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit
Subjects: Deportation and Immigration Proceedings; Freedom of Association

At Issue: Whether a federal judge may hear a constitutional claim asserted by immigrants protesting deportation before their administrative proceedings have been completed.

Decision: The court ruled that people here unlawfully cannot shield themselves from deportation by claiming the government is trying to banish them simply because of their controversial political views.

• The full text of the Reno v. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee decision is available at the FindLaw Internet Legal Resources Web site.

• The provision about judicial review for removing illegal immigrants in the U.S. Code (8 U.S.C. 1252) is available at the Web site for the U.S. House of Representatives' Office of the Law Revision Counsel.

Sources: The Washington Post, Supreme Court, The United States Law Week (a Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. publication)