Sometimes the summary at the outset of the opinion (helpfully) tells you pretty much all you need to know. Like this opinion by Judge VanDyke this morning:
"Petitioner has been a lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the United States since 2003. Since that time, he has been convicted of various crimes, including theft, criminal trespass, a DUI, and, as relevant here, possession of heroin in violation of Oregon law. After he received a notice to appear (NTA) initiating removal proceedings, Petitioner applied for cancellation of removal. Such discretionary relief is available to noncitizens who establish a continuous residence in the United States for seven years, subject to a “stop-time rule.” This case turns on the interpretation of the stop-time rule because Petitioner committed the heroin offense within the seven-year period but was convicted after the period ended.
We conclude that the agency did not err in deciding that the stop-time rule is calculated from the date Petitioner committed a criminal offense that rendered him removable, rather than the date he was convicted. We do so because: (i) the text of the stop-time rule set forth in 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(d)(1)(B) provides that once a conviction renders a noncitizen removable, the commission of an underlying offense is deemed to terminate the seven years of continuous residence required to be eligible for cancellation of removal; (ii) the Supreme Court adopted this interpretation in Barton v. Barr, 140 S. Ct. 1442, 1449–50 (2020); and (iii) every other circuit to decide the question (as well as the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)) agrees."
You can, of course, read the other 18 pages of the opinion. But it's pretty much more of the same.
