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The unanimous ruling is a procedural defeat for the GEO Group,
but it's not a final decision. The company is fighting a lawsuit
from 2014 alleging detainees in Aurora had to perform unpaid
janitorial work and other jobs for little pay to supplement
meager meals.
GEO defended its practices and argued that the case should be
tossed out because it's immune from lawsuits as a government
contractor.
After a judge disagreed, the company asked the Supreme Court to
allow it to quickly appeal the ruling. But the justices refused.
“If eventually found liable, GEO may of course appeal ... but
GEO must wait until then,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote. All nine
justices agreed with the outcome, but two justices, Clarence
Thomas and Samuel Alito, differed on the reasoning.
An attorney who argued for the Colorado detainees applauded the
ruling. “The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision reaffirms a
straightforward rule: government contractors like GEO do not
qualify for sovereign immunity and must follow the same ‘one
case, one appeal’ principle that governs every other litigant,"
Jennifer Bennett said.
The Florida-based GEO Group is one of the top private detention
providers in the country, with management or ownership of about
77,000 beds at 98 facilities. Its contracts include a new
federal immigration detention center where Newark, New Jersey,
Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at a protest in May 2025, before
the case against the Democrat was dropped.
Similar lawsuits have been brought on behalf of immigration
detainees elsewhere, including a case in Washington state, where
the company was ordered to pay more than $23 million.
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