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First Circuit cases at the Supreme Court, organized by procedural posture with links to official sources.
How to read this page
- Regular docket includes cert granted, argued (or to be argued), decided, and GVR/remand items.
- Interim docket collects time-sensitive interim matters linked to First Circuit litigation.
- Pending Petitions of Note lists selected petitions that may merit attention before cert is granted.
Showing 5 cases.
Regular docket (2)
Argued
Case examining the extent of the grant of birthright citizenship from the Fourteenth Amendment.
Questions presented
- Whether the Executive Order complies on its face with the Citizenship Clause and with 8 U.S.C. 1401(a), which codifies that Clause.
Merits briefs
Petition: Sep 26, 2025 · Grant: Dec 5, 2025 · Argument: Apr 1, 2026
Documents
Decided
A case examining the standard of review of a federal court of appeals when considering a persecution determination by the Board of Immigration Appeals. The Court unanimously affirmed, stating that "[t]he statute requires application of the substantial-evidence standard to the agency’s conclusion that a given set of undisputed facts does not constitute persecution."
Questions presented
- Whether a federal court of appeals must defer to the BIA’s judgment that a given set of undisputed facts does not demonstrate mistreatment severe enough to constitute “persecution” under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42).
Opinion
Supreme Court opinion
First Circuit: Nov 14, 2024 · Petition: Jan 17, 2025 · Grant: Jun 30, 2025 · Argument: Dec 1, 2025 · Decision: Mar 4, 2026
Interim docket (3)
Interim docket
Relief sought: Request for stay of district court orders requiring funding of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, withdrawn on November 13.
First Circuit: Nov 9, 2025
Interim docket
Whether to stay the district court's injunction against a policy requiring new passports to display a bearer's biological sex at birth.
Relief sought: Stay of Preliminary Injunction During Appeal
First Circuit: Sep 4, 2025 · Interim order: Nov 6, 2025
Why it matters: The Court granted the stay, making reference to "foreign affairs implications concerning a Government document" and that the passports would "attest[] to a historical fact." Justice Jackson, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Kagan, dissented.
Documents
Relief sought: Request for a stay of district court opinion enjoining the National Institutes of Health from terminating grants.
Interim order: Aug 21, 2025
Pending Petitions of Note (0)
No cases listed in this category.