Update on Kawashima

Post by
February 10, 2011

We noted back in November that the taxpayer had filed a petition for certiorari in Kawashima v. Holder, 615 F.3d 1043 (9th Cir. 2010), on the question whether Code section 7206 offenses provide a basis for deportation — an issue on which the circuits are split.  We stated that the Court could be expected to rule on the petition in early 2011, even if the government obtained a fairly routine 30-day extension of its December 2, 2010 response date.

There is no ruling yet because the government has now obtained three such extensions.  That is fairly unusual and may indicate that the government’s lawyers are struggling with how to respond.  In any case, it is unlikely that the Court would grant another extension.  If a response is filed on the current due date of March 4, 2011, then the Court will likely issue its ruling on its April 4 order list.