[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled 5-4 Wednesday against issuing a stay of removal in the case of a British citizen with US permanent resident status who had been convicted of marijuana possession, domestic violence and resisting arrest in Mississippi. Kiren Kumar Bharti was granted permanent residency in 1998. Solicitor General Paul Clement argued in a court filing that although Bharti's appeals were ongoing, those could still be pursued outside the US, and that his return to the UK would not expose him to persecution. Bharti has lived in the US for close to 25 years and now has family ties in the country, including a young daughter.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito voted against the stay, with Justice Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer voting for. No reasons were given in the court order [PDF] issued late Wednesday. In April, the court agreed to hear two cases raising a similar issue of deportations pursuant to state drug convictions [JURIST report]. AP has more.