California Case Summaries

Immigration

Secondary practice area

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Constitutional Law, Immigration

Sanchez Gonzalez v. U.S. Department of State — Ninth Circuit affirms visa denial of California spouse, holding that even after Muñoz a U.S. citizen’s First Amendment right to hear a noncitizen still triggers limited Mandel review

automatic / April 30, 2026

The Ninth Circuit affirms the denial of a Mexican spouse's visa application, holding that after Department of State v. Muñoz a U.S. citizen spouse can still invoke the Mandel exception based on her First Amendment right to receive information, but that the consular officer's reason-to-believe determination provides a facially legitimate and bona fide basis for denial.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Constitutional Law, Immigration

Hanan v. USCIS — Ninth Circuit holds the marriage fraud bar applies even when the noncitizen never applied for benefits based on the sham marriage, and that USCIS need not produce the ex-spouse for cross-examination

automatic / April 27, 2026

The Ninth Circuit affirms denial of an I-130 spousal petition under the marriage fraud bar, holding that the bar applies to attempts to enter sham marriages even without follow-on benefits applications and that USCIS need not produce the ex-spouse for cross-examination.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Constitutional Law, Immigration

United States v. Gonzalez-Reyes — Ninth Circuit holds California rape conviction is a categorical match for federal aggravated felony, blocking collateral attack on illegal-reentry charge

automatic / April 15, 2026

The Ninth Circuit holds that a California rape conviction under Penal Code section 261(a)(2) is a categorical match for the federal generic definition of rape, qualifying as an aggravated felony and defeating an illegal-reentry defendant's collateral attack on his prior removal order.

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