Quinchia v. U.S. Atty Gen., 537 F.3d 1312 (11th Cir. Aug. 7, 2008) (When faced with unpublished BIA decision interpreting INA without reliance on on-point precedent: "Two options exist. The first is to decide the issue ourselves under the lesser level of deference enunciated in Skidmore v. Swift & Company, 323 U.S. 134, 140, 65 S.Ct. 161, 89 L.Ed. 124 (1944), which holds that a non-binding administrative interpretation carries a weight "depend[ent] upon the thoroughness evident in its consideration, the validity of its reasoning, its consistency with earlier and later pronouncements, and all those factors which give it power to persuade, if lacking power to control." See United States v. Mead Corp., 533 U.S. 218, 237-38, 121 S.Ct. 2164, 150 L.Ed.2d 292 (2001) (stating that Skidmore remained intact after Chevron and that Skidmore deference applies when Chevron deference does not). The second is to remand the case to the BIA to permit it the opportunity to interpret the statute in a precedential three-member decision. See generally Gonzales v. Thomas, 547 U.S. 183, 185-86, 126 S.Ct. 1613, 164 L.Ed.2d 358 (2006) (reversing a court of appeals decision for failure to remand to the BIA for a determination of whether the alien petitioners were eligible for asylum based upon membership in a particular family); INS v. Orlando Ventura, 537 U.S. 12, 16-17, 123 S.Ct. 353, 154 L.Ed.2d 272 (2002) ("Generally speaking, a court of appeals should remand a case to an agency for decision of a matter that statutes place primarily in agency hands. This principle has obvious importance in the immigration context;" court here chose the latter).

jurisdiction: 
Eleventh Circuit

 

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