On this day in 1975, a New York Judge reverses John Lennon’s deportation order

Rumoured to be due to Richard Nixon and his governments fear of Lennon’s opinions and influence over young voters, a deportation order was subsequently handed to Lennon, using his 1968 conviction for marijuana possession as the grounds for the deportation.

Lawyer Leon Wildes came to Lennon’s defence, fighting alongside him for around four years to reverse the decision. Wildes claims Lennon “understood what was being done to him was wrong. It was an abuse of the law and he was willing to stand up and try to show it.” 

Things changed when Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal in 1974. His replacement, Gerald Ford showed little interest in continuing with the deportation and the following year on October 7th, Judge Irving Kaufman reversed the deportation order. Judge Kaufman left little doubt on the original intention of the deportation when he declared that “the courts will not condone selective deportation based upon secret political grounds.” He went on to add that “Lennon’s four year battle to remain in our country is testimony to his faith in this American dream.”

The following year, Lennon was finally awarded his hard-earned green card, allowing him to legally live and work in the U.S.