SCOTUS unanimously rules courts must defer to immigration judges on asylum persecution

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on March 4, 2026 in Urias-Orellana v. Bondi that federal appeals courts must apply the substantial-evidence standard — not de novo review — when reviewing immigration judges' determinations of whether facts constitute persecution. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote the opinion, holding that the Immigration and Nationality Act requires significant deference to IJ factfinding throughout asylum proceedings. The ruling made it harder for asylum seekers to successfully appeal BIA denials in federal court.