A.R.M.R. v. USA — 7th Cir. (Sep 29, 2026)
The Seventh Circuit hears a case arising from the first weeks of the pandemic. In March 2020, a pregnant woman entered the United States intending to seek asylum. She gave birth to a daughter here. Federal border officers then expelled the family to Mexico under a public-health order. The mother and her U.S.-citizen daughter sued the United States, alleging wrongful detention and expulsion. A district judge dismissed their claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act's quarantine exception. Does a policy of suspending entry and expelling people count as a quarantine, including for a child born in the United States?
A.R.M.R. v. USA (No. 26-1218) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, argued September 29, 2026.
Sources
Argument audio — Seventh Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/sound/external/gw.26-1218.26-1218_09_29_2026.mp3
Argument listing and date — Seventh Circuit:https://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/oralArguments/oar.jsp?amonth=09%2F2026&aMonth=List+case%28s%29
Case history and dismissal order — U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ilsd-3_24-cv-02416/pdf/USCOURTS-ilsd-3_24-cv-02416-0.pdf
Federal tort claims against the United States — 28 U.S.C. § 1346(b):https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=%28title%3A28+section%3A1346%28b%29+edition%3Aprelim%29
Quarantine exception — 28 U.S.C. § 2680(f):https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title28-section2680
Appeal docket and advocate appearances — Seventh Circuit:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca7/26-1218
- 0:00Introduction
- 3:46The quarantine exception