Mullin v. Doe · ¶136

This Court must also take account of a deferential standard of appellate review. The discriminatory-purpose inquiry is predominantly factual, so a lower court’s conclusion must stand unless clearly erroneous. See Anderson v. Bes semer City, 470 U. S. 564, 573 (1985). Here, the District Court found that the existing record (which future discovery could supplement) “strongly suggests that [the] decision to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation was motivated, at least in part, by racial animus.” 2 App. 703; see id., at 698 (observing that the President’s statements “repeatedly invoked racist tropes of national purity,” and evinced “antiblack” animus). Under clear-error review, that finding governs so long as it is “plausible.” Anderson, 470 U. S., at 574.

slip opinion
Source edition
Passage preview. Read in context for the complete text, notes and references.