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Aggravated Felony. The Second Circuit held that a state law drug conviction for a small quanity of marijuana was not an aggravated felony, warranting deportation. To make such a determination, the court looked to whether the offense was equivalent to felony drug traficking under the federal Controlled Substance Act ("CSA"). The CSA has an exception for the distribution of small amounts of mariuana without remuneration, treating it as a misdemeanor. The Court held that the petitioner in this case had not committed an aggravated felony because the crime fell within the CSA exception.

The decision in Martinez v. Mukasey can be found here.

Full post as published by Second Opinions on December 23, 2008 (boomark / email).