The Ninth Circuit has determined that the Board of Immigration Appeals must apply de novo review to the question of whether persecution will be inflicted on account of a protected ground.
Shoutout to Sabrina Damast (yes, I just gave myself a shoutout in the third person) and Jose Medrano for getting this published decision!
The full text of Umana-Escobar v. Garland can be found here: https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2023/03/17/19-70964.pdf
Amended opinion can be found here:
https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2023/05/23/19-70964.pdf