In the Matter of Wojtkow

1 Analyses of this admin-law by attorneys

  1. BIA Broadens Mental State Analysis for Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude

    University of Denver Sturm College of LawApril 2, 2015

    Matter of Hernandez, 26 I&N Dec. at 465 (quoting Matter of Silva-Trevino, 24 I&N Dec. at 689 n.1, 706 & n.5).First, the BIA had to determine whether recklessness under the Texas statute of deadly conduct constitutes the requisite form of “scienter” as required by Silva-Trevino. The BIA has previously found recklessness to be “a culpable mental state if it entails a conscious disregard of a substantial and unjustifiable risk.”Matter of Hernandez, 26 I&N Dec. at 465, 466 (citing Matter of Ruiz-Lopez, 25 I&N Dec. 551, 553-54 (BIA 2011); Matter of Franklin, 20 I&N Dec. 867, 869-71 (BIA 1994); Matter of Wojtkow, 18 I&N Dec. 111, 112-13 (BIA 1981); Matter of Medina, 15 I&N Dec. 611, 613−14 (BIA 1976)). For its part, the Texas Penal Code defines “reckless conduct” as being “aware of but consciously disregard[ing] a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances exist or the result will occur.”