Blockbuster GMC Victory in Virginia: Abusamhadaneh v. Taylor

"Last night, Mr. J.A. slept soundly for the first time in more than four years.  On June 5, 2012, Judge James C. Cacheris of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued a 90-page decision finding Mr. J.A. to be a person of “good moral character” who meets the requirements for naturalization under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Abusamhadaneh v. Taylor, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 78195 (E.D. Va. June 5, 2012). This rare federal court challenge to a denial by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of a naturalization application was prepared and argued by Benach Ragland LLP partners Thomas K. Ragland and Jennifer D. Cook and Senior Paralegal Cyndy Ramirez Clark at their former firm, Duane Morris LLP.  Lead counsel in the case was Denyse Sabagh, a partner and head of the immigration practice group at Duane Morris.  The decision is a tremendous victory for Mr. J.A. and a stinging rebuke of the government’s relentless efforts to deny him U.S. citizenship.  In his decision, Judge Cacheris admonished USCIS for its inaccurate, incomplete, and biased decision-making and for its unfounded conclusion that Mr. J.A. provided false testimony during his naturalization interview. The Judge also denounced the government’s conduct during trial as deceptive, misleading, and wholly unpersuasive." - Benach Ragland, June 7, 2012.