The St. Cyr decision held that recent federal legislation did not eliminate the federal courts’ jurisdiction to consider habeas corpus petitions from resident aliens who were deportable because of felony convictions.
In 1996, Enrico St. Cyr, a lawful resident alien from Haiti, pleaded guilty to selling controlled substances in Connecticut. As a result, immigration officials brought deportation proceedings against him. Two complex federal statutes of 1996, the
The major issue before the U.S. Supreme Court was whether the district courts continued to have habeas corpus jurisdiction over deportable aliens, as it did before enactment of the AEDPA and IIRIRA. In a 5-4 opinion, the Court ruled in the affirmative. Arguing that the relevant wording was ambiguous, Justice
Gordon, Charles, Stanley Mailman, and Stephen Yale-Loehr. Immigration Law and Procedure. New York: Matthew Bender, 2001. Phelan, Margaret, and James Gillespie. Immigration Law Handbook. 2d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Citizenship
Congress, U.S.
Constitution, U.S.
Deportation
Immigration law
Supreme Court, U.S.