United States v. Costello

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

666 F.3d 1040 (2012)

Relevant factsFree

Deanna Costello (defendant) let her boyfriend, who had illegally reentered the United States, live with her for about seven months. The federal government (plaintiff) prosecuted Costello for illegally harboring an alien, and she was convicted and appealed to the Seventh Circuit.

IssueFree

Whether simply allowing an illegally present alien to live in one's home constitutes 'harboring' the alien under the federal statute prohibiting harboring illegal aliens.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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