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(Slip Opinion) OCTOBER TERM, 2021 1

Syllabus

NOTE: Where it is feasible, a syllabus (headnote) will be released, as is


being done in connection with this case, at the time the opinion is issued.
The syllabus constitutes no part of the opinion of the Court but has been
prepared by the Reporter of Decisions for the convenience of the reader.
See United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co., 200 U. S. 321, 337.

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

Syllabus

PATEL ET AL. v. GARLAND, ATTORNEY GENERAL

CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR


THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT

No. 20–979. Argued December 6, 2021—Decided May 16, 2022


In 2007, Pankajkumar Patel, who had entered the United States illegally
with his wife Jyotsnaben in the 1990s, applied to United States Citi-
zenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for discretionary adjust-
ment of status under 8 U. S. C. §1255, which would have made Patel
and his wife lawful permanent residents. Because USCIS was aware
that Patel had previously checked a box on a Georgia driver’s license
application falsely stating that he was a United States citizen, it de-
nied Patel’s application for failure to satisfy the threshold requirement
that the noncitizen be statutorily admissible for permanent residence.
§1255(i)(2)(A); see also §1182(a)(6)(C)(ii)(I) (rendering inadmissible a
noncitizen “who falsely represents . . . himself or herself to be a citizen
of the United States for any purpose or benefit under” state or federal
law).
Years later, the Government initiated removal proceedings against
Patel and his wife due to their illegal entry. Patel sought relief from
removal by renewing his adjustment of status request. Patel argued
before an Immigration Judge that he had mistakenly checked the “cit-
izen” box on the state application and thus lacked the subjective intent
necessary to violate the federal statute. The Immigration Judge disa-
greed, denied Patel’s application for adjustment of status, and ordered
that Patel and his wife be removed from the country. The Board of
Immigration Appeals dismissed Patel’s appeal.
Patel petitioned the Eleventh Circuit for review, where a panel of
that court held that it lacked jurisdiction to consider his claim. Fed-
eral law prohibits judicial review of “any judgment regarding the
granting of relief” under §1255. §1252(a)(2)(B)(i). But see
§1252(a)(2)(D) (exception where the judgment concerns “constitutional
claims” or “questions of law”). The panel reasoned that the factual
2 PATEL v. GARLAND

Syllabus

determinations of which Patel sought review—whether he had testi-


fied credibly and whether he had subjectively intended to misrepresent
himself as a citizen—each qualified as an unreviewable judgment. On
rehearing, the en banc court agreed with the panel. This Court
granted certiorari to resolve a Circuit conflict as to the scope of
§1252(a)(2)(B)(i).
Held: Federal courts lack jurisdiction to review facts found as part of dis-
cretionary-relief proceedings under §1255 and the other provisions
enumerated in §1252(a)(2)(B)(i). Pp. 6–17.
(a) This case largely turns on the scope of the word “judgment” as
used in §1252(a)(2)(B)(i). In support of the judgment below, Court-
appointed amicus defines it as any authoritative decision—encompass-
ing any and all decisions relating to the granting or denying of discre-
tionary relief. By contrast, the Government argues that it refers ex-
clusively to a decision requiring the use of discretion, which the factual
findings in this case are not. Patel agrees that “judgment” implies an
exercise of discretion but interprets the qualifying phrase “regarding
the granting of relief” as focusing the jurisdictional bar on only the
Immigration Judge’s ultimate decision whether to grant relief. Every-
thing else, he says, is reviewable. Pp. 6–14.
(1) Only amicus’ definition fits the text and context of
§1252(a)(2)(B)(i). “ [T]he word ‘any’ has an expansive meaning.” Babb
v. Wilkie, 589 U. S. ___, ___, n. 2 (some internal quotation marks omit-
ted). As applied here, “any” means a judgment “ ‘of whatever kind’ ”
under §1255 and the other enumerated provisions. United States v.
Gonzales, 520 U. S. 1, 5. The word “regarding” has a similarly “broad-
ening effect.” Lamar, Archer & Cofrin, LLP v. Appling, 584 U. S. ___,
___. Thus, §1252(a)(2)(B)(i) encompasses not just “the granting of re-
lief” but also any judgment relating to the granting of relief. Amicus’
reading is reinforced by Congress’ later addition of §1252(a)(2)(D),
which preserves review of legal and constitutional questions but
makes no mention of preserving review of questions of fact. Moreover,
this Court has already relied on subparagraph (D) to all but settle that
judicial review of factfinding is unavailable. See Guerrero-Lasprilla v.
Barr, 589 U. S. ___; Nasrallah v. Barr, 590 U. S. ___ (2020). Pp. 8–10.
(2) The Government’s and Patel’s interpretations read like elabo-
rate efforts to avoid the text’s most natural meaning. The Government
cites dictionary definitions such as “the mental or intellectual process
of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing” as
indicating that “judgment” refers exclusively to a discretionary deci-
sion, which it describes as one that is “subjective or evaluative.” Brief
for Respondent 12. The factual findings in this case, it says, do not fit
that description. The Government is wrong about both text and con-
text. A “judgment” does not necessarily involve discretion, nor does

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