The Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq. renders deportable noncitizens who are convicted of aggravated felonies after they admitted to the U.S.. Under the I.N.A., “an offense relating to the obstruction of justice” where the term of imprisonment is at least one year qualifies as an aggravated felony whether it is committed in violation of state or federal law. In Pugin v. Garland, Case No. 22-23, SCOTUS will address whether the crime of being an accessory after the fact to a felony is an “offense relating to the obstruction of justice.” And in Garland v. Cordero-Garcia, Case No. 22-331, SCOTUS will address the same question regarding crimes that don’t interfere with existing investigations or judicial proceedings. For more, see SCOTUSblog’s coverage here.
