Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Cardoza-Fonseca

Decided March 9, 1987. John Paul Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 85-782 · 480 U.S. 421 (1987) · Cited 4,149 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 6–3.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

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.

• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Stevic · 467 U.S. 407 (1984)
• Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. · 467 U.S. 837 (1984)
• Russello v. United States · 464 U.S. 16 (1983)
• Morton v. Ruiz · 415 U.S. 199 (1974)
• Ernst & Ernst v. Hochfelder · 425 U.S. 185 (1976)
• Consumer Product Safety Commission v. GTE Sylvania, Inc. · 447 U.S. 102 (1980)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Chadha · 462 U.S. 919 (1983)
• Richards v. United States · 369 U.S. 1 (1962)
• Hillsborough County v. Automated Medical Laboratories, Inc. · 471 U.S. 707 (1985)
• General Electric Co. v. Gilbert · 429 U.S. 125 (1976)
• United States v. Wiltberger · 18 U.S. 76 (1820)
• Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison · 432 U.S. 63 (1977)
• United Parcel Service, Inc. v. Mitchell · 451 U.S. 56 (1981)
• Watt v. Alaska · 451 U.S. 259 (1981)
• American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson · 456 U.S. 63 (1982)
• Nachman Corp. v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation · 446 U.S. 359 (1980)
• Japan Whaling Ass'n v. American Cetacean Society · 478 U.S. 221 (1986)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Jong Ha Wang · 450 U.S. 139 (1981)
• United States v. Shimer · 367 U.S. 374 (1961)
• Packard Motor Car Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 330 U.S. 485 (1947)
• Capital Cities Cable, Inc. v. Crisp · 467 U.S. 691 (1984)
• Chemical Manufacturers Ass'n v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. · 470 U.S. 116 (1985)
• United States v. Hartwell · 73 U.S. 385 (1868)
• Gulf Oil Corp. v. Copp Paving Co. · 419 U.S. 186 (1974)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Phinpathya · 464 U.S. 183 (1984)
• United States v. James · 478 U.S. 597 (1986)
• Irvine v. California · 347 U.S. 128 (1954)
• Fong Haw Tan v. Phelan · 333 U.S. 6 (1948)
• United States v. Sullivan · 332 U.S. 689 (1948)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Errico · 385 U.S. 214 (1966)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Negusie v. Holder · 555 U.S. 511 (2009)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Aguirre-Aguirre · 526 U.S. 415 (1999)
• Sale v. Haitian Centers Council, Inc. · 509 U.S. 155 (1993)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Elias-Zacarias · 502 U.S. 478 (1992)
• National Labor Relations Board v. United Food & Commercial Workers Union, Local 23 · 484 U.S. 112 (1987)
• City of Arlington v. Fed. Commc'ns Comm'n · 569 U.S. 290 (2013)
• K Mart Corp. v. Cartier, Inc. · 486 U.S. 281 (1988)
• Kisor v. Wilkie · 588 U.S. 558 (2019)
• Dada v. Mukasey · 554 U.S. 1 (2008)
• Cuozzo Speed Technologies, LLC v. Lee · 579 U.S. 261 (2016)
• Wisconsin Central Ltd. v. United States · 585 U.S. 274 (2018)
• Gamble v. United States · 587 U.S. 678 (2019)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. St. Cyr · 533 U.S. 289 (2001)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Abudu · 485 U.S. 94 (1988)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Doherty · 502 U.S. 314 (1992)
• United States v. Mendoza-Lopez · 481 U.S. 828 (1987)
• Ardestani v. Immigration & Naturalization Service · 502 U.S. 129 (1991)
• Republic of Austria v. Altmann · 541 U.S. 677 (2004)
• Taylor v. United States · 495 U.S. 575 (1990)
• Nken v. Holder · 556 U.S. 418 (2009)
• United States v. Mead Corp. · 533 U.S. 218 (2001)
• Honig v. Doe · 484 U.S. 305 (1988)
• Thomas Jefferson University v. Shalala · 512 U.S. 504 (1994)
• Rust v. Sullivan · 500 U.S. 173 (1991)
• BFP v. Resolution Trust Corporation · 511 U.S. 531 (1994)
• Johnson v. United States · 529 U.S. 694 (2000)
• United States Department of State v. Ray · 502 U.S. 164 (1991)
• Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Rainey · 488 U.S. 153 (1988)
• United States v. Wells · 519 U.S. 482 (1997)
• At&T Corp. v. Iowa Utilities Board · 525 U.S. 366 (1999)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).