Blanche v. Lau · ¶67

So how did the majority reach today’s counterintuitive and consequential result? By ignoring the “shall not” language in §1101(a)(13)(C). (Indeed, those words do not appear in the majority opinion until the very last page. See ante, at 9.) But the words of a statute convey intended meaning. See American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson, 456 U. S. 63, 68 (1982). And nothing about the text or purpose of §1101(a)(13)(C) supports the majority’s or the Government’s reading.

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