Prof. Hickman's Article on Judicial Deference Cited by Federal District Court

Professor Kristin Hickman's work on the Skidmore doctrine of judicial deference to agency legal interpretations was cited in an opinion issued by Judge William Young of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in the case of Patel v. Johnson, Civil Action No. 12-12317-WGY. The case concerned a challenge against a decision of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Administrative Appeals Office to dismiss an immigrant worker visa petition. In his opinion, Judge Young cited Hickman's article with Matthew Krueger ('06), "In Search of the 'Modern' Skidmore Standard," 107 Columbia Law Review 1235 (2007), in describing the standard of review utilized to review a non-precedential opinion of the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office.