Supreme Court Extends Immigration Departure Deadlines to Next Business Day

2025-04-22

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Supreme Court Extends Immigration Departure Deadlines to Next Business Day

Bread and Circus: The Complete Record of American Governance

Today’s newsletter covers official U.S. government happenings from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches yesterday, as well as key economic indicators. Below, you’ll find concise summaries of each document, with links to the original sources for further reading.

What Happened Yesterday:

🦅 Executive Branch: No activity
🏛️ Legislative Branch: No activity
⚖️ Judicial Branch: 3 documents (1 Supreme Court Opinion, 2 Supreme Court Oral Arguments)
📊 Economic Indicators: 2 documents (1 Bureau of Labor Statistics press release, 1 Pew Research report)
Total words condensed: 89,411 into 1,379

The Big Picture

Today’s key developments center on the Supreme Court clarifying important legal procedures and addressing sensitive social issues. The Court ruled 5-4 that immigration deadlines for voluntary departure extend to the next business day if they fall on weekends or holidays, giving affected individuals more time to comply or seek relief. This decision aligns immigration deadlines with other legal timeframes and may affect future cases involving immigration timing. Meanwhile, the Court heard arguments in two significant cases: one about whether taxpayers can challenge IRS actions after a levy stops, which could influence how tax disputes are resolved, and another about whether public schools must allow parents to opt their young children out of lessons on LGBTQ topics, a case that touches on education, religious rights, and social values.

On the economic and social front, recent data show that about 63% of recent high school graduates enroll in college, with women attending at higher rates than men, and that college completion strongly correlates with employment among young adults. However, those who drop out or do not attend college face much lower employment rates. Additionally, a new study reveals a gap between parents’ and teens’ views on mental health and social media: 55% of parents worry a lot about teen mental health, while only 35% of teens share that concern. Social media is seen by many parents as a major problem, though teens acknowledge both its benefits and harms. These findings highlight ongoing challenges in youth education, employment, and well-being that policymakers and communities must address.

Pattern to Watch

There is an emerging pattern of legal and social debates focusing on balancing individual rights with institutional policies, especially in areas affecting young people. The Supreme Court’s recent and pending decisions on immigration deadlines, tax dispute procedures, and parental control over school curricula reflect a broader trend of courts clarifying how laws apply in complex, real-world situations. At the same time, economic data and social research show persistent disparities in youth outcomes—such as employment gaps linked to education and differing perceptions of mental health risks related to social media use. Together, these indicators suggest that future policy discussions will increasingly grapple with how to support young people’s economic opportunities and mental health while respecting legal rights and social values. Continued attention to court rulings on education and tax law, as well as updated labor and social surveys, will signal whether this trend toward nuanced balancing acts intensifies.

🦅 Executive Branch

No activity today.

🏛️ Legislative Branch

No activity today.

⚖️ Judicial Branch

Supreme Court Opinions

In Monsalvo Velazquez v. Bondi, the Supreme Court decided how to count the days for an immigration deadline. The specific question was whether a 60-day deadline for someone to voluntarily leave the U.S. should extend to the next business day if the 60th day falls on a weekend or holiday. The Court ruled 5-4 that the deadline does extend. Justice Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson. Justice Thomas wrote a dissent, joined by Justice Alito, and partly joined by Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett; Justice Alito and Justice Barrett also wrote separate dissents, both joined by Justice Kavanaugh. This decision changes the law by confirming that this specific 60-day “voluntary departure” deadline works like many other legal deadlines, rolling over weekends and holidays. The Court reasoned that Congress likely intended this based on long-standing government practice for similar deadlines, while dissenters argued “60 days” should mean calendar days since travel is possible any day, and also raised concerns about whether the court had the authority to hear the case. This ruling gives individuals in this situation potentially more time to depart or file last-minute motions and clarifies how similar immigration deadlines might be calculated in the future. Read full document →

Supreme Court Oral Arguments

This case, Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Zuch, asks whether the Tax Court can keep deciding a tax dispute after the IRS stops trying to take a taxpayer’s property by levy (which means seizing and selling it to pay taxes). The government said the Tax Court only has power when a levy is actually happening, so if the IRS stops the levy because the tax is paid, the court can’t hear the case. Ms. Zuch argued that the court should still decide if she owes any tax or if she paid too much, even if there’s no levy. The justices asked tough questions about whether the court’s power depends on a “determination” by the IRS and whether stopping the levy means the case is over, with some justices worried about fairness if the IRS can avoid court by dropping the levy late. This case matters because it affects how taxpayers can challenge IRS actions and get their money back without waiting for a long refund lawsuit, especially when the IRS changes its mind about collecting taxes. Read full document →
The Supreme Court heard the case Mahmoud v. Taylor about whether public schools must let parents take their young children out of lessons that teach about LGBTQ topics if those lessons go against the parents’ religious beliefs. The parents argued that forcing their kids to hear these lessons breaks their right to raise their children according to their faith and that schools should allow opt-outs like they do for other subjects. The school and the government said that teaching respect for all people, including LGBTQ individuals, is important and that allowing opt-outs for these lessons would be too hard to manage and would disrupt education. The justices asked tough questions about how young children understand these lessons, whether just hearing about different families is harmful, and how schools can balance respect for religion with teaching facts and kindness. This case matters because it affects what children learn in public schools and how much control parents have over their kids’ education, especially on sensitive topics like gender and sexuality. Read full document →

📊 Economic Indicators

Bureau of Labor Statistics

In 2024, about 63 out of 100 recent high school graduates went to college, which is almost the same as last year. More young women (70 out of 100) went to college than young men (55 out of 100). Among young people aged 16 to 24 who dropped out of high school, only 40 out of 100 were working or looking for work, much less than the 66 out of 100 recent graduates not in college. For those aged 20 to 29 who finished college, about 70 out of 100 with a bachelor’s degree had jobs, and 78 out of 100 with an associate degree had jobs. The number of young people working while in college went up a bit, especially for those studying part-time. These numbers show that going to college is common and helps many young people find jobs, but those who drop out or don’t go to college have a harder time working. This matters because it affects how easy it is for young people to get jobs and support themselves. Read full document →

Pew Research

This study looked at how teenagers and their parents feel about mental health and social media. It found that 55% of parents are very worried about teen mental health, but only 35% of teens feel the same way. Many parents (44%) think social media is the biggest problem for teen mental health, while fewer teens (22%) say this; teens also mention bullying and pressure. Girls and Black teens are more concerned about mental health than boys and White teens. About half of teens (48%) say social media mostly hurts other teens, but only 14% say it hurts them personally. Many teens (45%) say social media hurts their sleep, and 40% say it hurts their productivity. Still, 74% of teens feel social media helps them stay connected with friends, and 63% say it helps them be creative. More girls than boys try to spend less time on social media. These findings matter because they show that while social media can help teens feel connected, it also causes worries about mental health, sleep, and pressure, which affects families and communities. Read full document →

Sources Covered Today

Supreme Court Opinion: Monsalvo Velazquez v. Bondi
Supreme Court Oral Argument: CIR v. Zuch
Supreme Court Oral Argument: Mahmoud v. Taylor
BLS: College Enrollment and Work Activity of High School Graduates
Pew Research: Teens, Social Media and Mental Health

All U.S. Government Activity Yesterday:

Presidential actions issued: 0
Regulations: 0
Bills presented to president: 0
Bills that became law: 0
Supreme Court opinions issued: 1
Supreme Court oral arguments: 2

This is your daily record of history unfolding — no spin, just facts. For 341,659,104 people in the United States, this was yesterday.

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