Saxbe, Attorney General, et al. v. Bustos et al.

Decided November 25, 1974. William Orville Douglas delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 73-300 · 419 U.S. 65 (1974) · Cited 109 times

Holding

Alien commuters are immigrants who are 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence,' and are 'returning from a temporary visit abroad' when they enter the United States, and this 'special immigrant' classification is applicable to both daily and seasonal commuters.

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 5–4.

“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.

• Massachusetts Trustees of Eastern Gas & Fuel Associates v. United States · 377 U.S. 235 (1964)
• Leary v. United States · 395 U.S. 6 (1969)
• Southern Pacific Company v. Jensen · 244 U.S. 205 (1916)
• Norwegian Nitrogen Products Co. v. United States · 288 U.S. 294 (1933)
• Estate of Sanford v. Commissioner · 308 U.S. 39 (1939)
• Zuber v. Allen · 396 U.S. 168 (1969)
• Federal Maritime Commission v. Seatrain Lines, Inc. · 411 U.S. 726 (1973)

Cited by

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

• United Housing Foundation, Inc. v. Forman · 421 U.S. 837 (1975)
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Daniel · 439 U.S. 551 (1979)
• Securities & Exchange Commission v. Sloan · 436 U.S. 103 (1978)
• Immigration & Naturalization Service v. National Center for Immigrants' Rights, Inc. · 502 U.S. 183 (1991)
• United States v. National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. · 422 U.S. 694 (1975)
• Young v. Community Nutrition Institute · 476 U.S. 974 (1986)
• Chemehuevi Tribe of Indians v. Federal Power Commission · 420 U.S. 395 (1975)

Official text

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

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William Orville Douglas’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1974). 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).