Published on: Friday, April 5, 2024

Washington man runs an organization that purports to help undocumented adult immigrants become U.S. citizens through adult adoption. He's convicted and sentenced to 240 months for unlawfully "encouraging or inducing an alien to come to, enter, or reside unlawfully in the United States for private financial gain." He appeals his conviction. Ninth Circuit (2022): That provision is unconstitutionally overbroad because it could reach all kinds of protected speech. Conviction vacated. Supreme Court (2023): Nope. It only reaches purposeful solicitation and facilitation of illegal acts. Ninth Circuit (2024): In that case, the jury should have been instructed on that, and it wasn't. So conviction vacated. Again. (Your summarist notes that one of the judges was sitting by designation from the US Court of International Trade.)

The case is United States v. Hansen, No. 17-10548 (9th Cir. Apr. 3, 2024).