3 Apr No Comments stu@crimapp.com Categorical Rule, Drug Offense Exclusion, US Criminality

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A relatively unnoticed ruling in Mellouli v Lynch suggests that Descamps v United States could apply to certain drug offenses.  Mellouli v. Lynch, No. 13-1034, 2015 WL 2464047 (June 1, 2015).   In overruling Board of Immigration Appeal’s ruling in Matter of Martinez-Espinoza, 25 I&N Dec. 118 (BIA 2009), the high Court found that drug paraphernalia offenses do not constitute drug offenses per se.  Thus, a person may not fall into the drug offense exclusion.  The National Immigration Project has an excellent discussion paper on the ruling which is available here.