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Adjusting The Asylum Bar: Neguise V. Holder And The Need To Incorporate A Defense Of Duress Into The "Persecutor Bar", Melani Johns

Golden Gate University Law Review

This Comment explores the different interpretations of the "persecutor bar" among the circuits and proposes an exception for those who have persecuted others while under duress. Part I begins with the background and policy reasons behind the establishment of the persecutor bar, including the split in the courts as to how to interpret it and whether to allow the defense of duress. Part II focuses on Justice Scalia's concurring opinion in Negusie v. Holder, which summarizes and explains the arguments supporting an absolute persecutor bar. Justice Scalia posited that duress is not a defense against harming others, that asylum is …