Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-15-09569/USCOURTS-ca10-15-09569-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Loretta E. Lynch
Respondent
Carlos Ignacio Ortiz-Zuniga
Petitioner

Document Text:

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT

_________________________________

CARLOS IGNACIO ORTIZ-ZUNIGA, 

 Petitioner,

v.

LORETTA E. LYNCH, 

United States Attorney General, 

 Respondent.

No. 15-9569

(Petition for Review)

_________________________________

ORDER

_________________________________

Before KELLY, O’BRIEN, and GORSUCH, Circuit Judges.

_________________________________

Carlos Ignacio Ortiz-Zuniga petitions for review of a Board of Immigration 

Appeals (BIA) order dismissing his appeal from the denial of his application for 

cancellation of removal. After he filed his petition, however, the BIA reopened the 

proceedings and remanded for a new decision by the immigration judge. In light of 

this development, the Attorney General has moved to dismiss the petition for lack of 

jurisdiction. Mr. Ortiz-Zuniga has not responded to the motion. 

“Before reaching the merits of the petition for review, we must satisfy 

ourselves that we have jurisdiction to review. We have jurisdiction to review the 

petition only if there has been a final order of removal.” Padilla-Caldera v. Holder, 

637 F.3d 1140, 1144 (10th Cir. 2011). “[T]he grant of a motion to reopen vacates the 

FILED

United States Court of Appeals

Tenth Circuit

April 26, 2016

Elisabeth A. Shumaker

Clerk of Court

Appellate Case: 15-9569 Document: 01019609159 Date Filed: 04/26/2016 Page: 1 
2

previous order of deportation or removal and reinstates the previously terminated 

immigration proceedings.” Bronisz v. Ashcroft, 378 F.3d 632, 637 (7th Cir. 2004). 

Therefore, when the BIA reopens a removal proceeding and remands for a new 

decision by the immigration judge, a pending petition for review must be dismissed

for lack of jurisdiction. See Gao v. Gonzales, 464 F.3d 728, 730 (7th Cir. 2006); 

Lopez-Ruiz v. Ashcroft, 298 F.3d 886, 887 (9th Cir. 2002).

The Attorney General’s motion to dismiss is granted, and the petition for 

review is dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

Entered for the Court

ELISABETH A. SHUMAKER, Clerk

Appellate Case: 15-9569 Document: 01019609159 Date Filed: 04/26/2016 Page: 2