Passim

Mandamus decisions / Eastern District of Virginia

Patel v. Mullins

Eastern District of VirginiaDavid J. NovakDecided September 25, 2026No. 3:26-cv-00414

Read the decisionOriginal on CourtListener

2,996 written decisions from 2,731 cases in the whole mandamus and agency-delay group, the group's newest decided November 12, 2026. Updated November 14, 2026 at 1:17 a.m. CT; the Passim connector counts the live collection, which can differ by the day's additions and retirements (which total to quote). Coverage: of the 1,617 public decisions since January 1, 2025 that a CourtListener and GovInfo search for mandamus and agency delay finds, Passim holds 1,406 (87%), 1,039 of them in this group, measured November 14, 2026. Some of what that search finds are not mandamus decisions. Tell us about a decision we're missing.

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What the decision decided

Each value cites the passage it was read from. Values read by a model were checked against that passage; values read by rule come from fixed text patterns. Read the decision before relying on either.

Agency USCIS Read by a model
Because USCIS retains the discretion whether to adjudicate the waiver at all, its delay in doing so is not actionable under the APA.
Form or filing I-601 (waiver) Read by a model
In March 2024, Nagjibhai filed with USCIS a Form I-601 application seeking a waiver of inadmissibility.
What the suit asked for Decide the application Read by a model
Plaintiffs now seek a writ of mandamus to compel Defendants to adjudicate the waiver application.
Kind of order A ruling on a motion or the petition Read by a model
the Court hereby GRANTS Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 8)
Motion decided Motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction; Summary judgment Read by a model
a Motion to Dismiss ¢CF No. 8 ("Motion to Dismiss)) and an alternative Motion for Summary Judgment @CF No. 9 ("Motion for Summary Judgment").)
Whose motion The government's motion Read by a model
the Court hereby GRANTS Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 8)
Disposition Dismissed The case or every delay claim was dismissed for a reason other than mootness. Read by a model
For the reasons stated above, the Court hereby GRANTS Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 8) and DISMISSES VITHOUT PREJUDICE Plaintiffs' Petition for a Writ of Mandamus (ECF No. 1.)
Prevailing party Government Read by a model
For the reasons stated above, the Court hereby GRANTS Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 8) and DISMISSES VITHOUT PREJUDICE Plaintiffs' Petition for a Writ of Mandamus (ECF No. 1.)
The delay claim Dismissed Read by a model
Because the Court lacks jurisdiction to reach both the APA and mandanus claims, the Petition must be dismissed.
Months pending 30.4 months from the application to the court's decision Read by a model
In March 2024, Nagjibhai filed with USCIS a Form I-601 application seeking a waiver of inadmissibility.
TRAC factors The court did not weigh the TRAC factors Read by a model
Threshold rulings None Read by a model
Nationality India Read by a model
PlaintiffNagjibhai Patel is a citizen and resident of India.

How the case ended

Docket
No. 3:26-cv-00414
On the docket
This ruling (ECF 14)
Filed
May 12, 2026
Ended
September 25, 2026
Suit's filing to its end
136 days
How it ended
Dismissed on jurisdiction or the merits
From the record
order 2026-09-25 for the defendants, ground not stated

A voluntary or stipulated dismissal is how most suits end once the agency acts; the docket rarely says why. Other suits in this court.

The ruling's entry is the docket's one order or judgment entered the day of the decision. Both come from CourtListener's copy of the docket; check them there.

Supreme Court and Fourth Circuit authority

District decisions bind no one. On the questions this decision raises, the Supreme Court decisions and the circuit's published decisions listed here bind this court; a circuit disposition marked nonprecedential was not published as precedent and is persuasive only. ImmCite status as read November 14, 2026. Check the current status before relying on one.