Garland v. Ming Dai
Decided June 1, 2021. Neil M. Gorsuch delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 19-1155 · 593 U.S. 357 (2021) · Cited 128 times
Holding
The Ninth Circuit’s rule in immigration disputes—that in the absence of an explicit adverse credibility determination by an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals, a reviewing court must treat a petitioning noncitizen’s testimony as credible and true—cannot be reconciled with the terms of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court. Read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 9–0.
Majority · 9
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Clarence Thomas
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Elena Kagan
- Neil M. Gorsuch · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Amy Coney Barrett
- Stephen G. Breyer
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Bowman Transportation, Inc. v. Arkansas-Best Freight System, Inc. · 419 U.S. 281 (1974)
- Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. · 435 U.S. 519 (1978)
- Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs v. Greenwich Collieries · 512 U.S. 267 (1994)
- Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Elias-Zacarias · 502 U.S. 478 (1992)
- Securities & Exchange Commission v. Chenery Corp. · 318 U.S. 80 (1943)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
- Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Aguirre-Aguirre · 526 U.S. 415 (1999)
- Federal Communications Commission v. Pottsville Broadcasting Co. · 309 U.S. 134 (1940)
- Banks v. Chicago Grain Trimmers Assn., Inc. · 390 U.S. 459 (1968)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
Explore from here
Neil M. Gorsuch’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2021). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).