United States Fourth Circuit

Although the mandatory detention of deportable aliens is reasonably related to legitimate government interests, the 14-month detention of a deportable alien, convicted of firearm offenses, constituted punishment without the benefit of a trial in violation of due process.

Appellate Information

• Argued 06/05/2001
• Decided 06/19/2002
• Published 06/19/2002

Judges

• Before WIDENER and WILLIAMS, Circuit Judges, and BEEZER, Senior Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, sitting by designation.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Earle Bronson Wilson, Office of Immigration Litigation, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for Appellants.  Mary Ellen Fleck, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Appellee.   ON BRIEF:  Stuart E. Schiffer, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Emily Anne Radford, Assistant Director, Office of Immigration Litigation, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for Appellants.  Todd M. Stenerson, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P., Washington, D.C., for Appellee.  Michael Maggio, Maggio & Kattar, P.C., Washington, D.C.;   Marvin E. Frankel, Jennifer L. Rochon, Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, L.L.P., New York, New York;  Nancy Morawetz, Washington Square Legal Services, Inc., New York University School of Law, New York, New York, for Amici Curiae Citizens & Immigrants and Immigration Lawyers. Judy Rabinowitz, Immigrants' Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, New York, New York;  Liliana M. Garces, Immigrants' Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Oakland, California, for Amicus Curiae Foundation.