Supreme Court rules marijuana possession not grounds for automatic deportation

[JURIST]

The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled 7-2 Tuesday in Moncrieffe v. Holder [opinion, PDF; JURIST report] that noncitizens have not committed an "aggravated felony" if they are convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana, and are eligible for discretionary review of their immigration case. The Immigration and Nationality Act provides that an alien "who is convicted of an aggravated felony at any time after admission is deportable" [8 USC § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii)]. A state law offense may constitute an "aggravated felony" if it is the equivalent of a "felony punishable under the Controlled Substances Act." Under the Controlled Substances...