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Barrett Aligns with Thomas in Immigration Ruling, Sparks Trump Concerns

6/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined Justice Clarence Thomas in a concurrence in Margolin v. National Association of Immigration Judges.
Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck warned the concurrence may signal Barrett will side with President Donald Trump in upcoming immigration cases.
He noted Barrett, who previously took a split-the-difference stance in National Institutes of Health v. American Public Health Association, now aligns with Thomas’s aggressive pro-channeling approach, raising concerns for Mahmoud Khalil’s deportation.

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Story summary

Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined Justice Clarence Thomas in a concurrence in Margolin v. National Association of Immigration Judges.
Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck warned the concurrence may signal Barrett will side with President Donald Trump in upcoming immigration cases.
He noted Barrett, who previously took a split-the-difference stance in National Institutes of Health v. American Public Health Association, now aligns with Thomas’s aggressive pro-channeling approach, raising concerns for Mahmoud Khalil’s deportation.