Justice Elena Kagan authored the opinion, stating GEO must wait for a liability determination before appealing, with all nine justices agreeing on the outcome except for dissenters Thomas and Alito on the reasoning.

The Supreme Court unanimously rejected GEO Group’s bid to fast-track immunity and allow a Colorado detainee-labor case to proceed, clearing the way for the lawsuit to move in lower court.

GEO Group faces other related suits across states, including a Washington state case in which the company was ordered to pay more than $23 million, and a Newark incident where a mayor was arrested at a protest during the case period.

GEO Group operates about 77,000 beds across 98 facilities and holds contracts including a federal immigration detention center.

The ruling preserves detainees’ ability to pursue claims and leaves open the possibility for GEO to appeal if liability is found, but GEO must wait for a ruling on liability first.

Advocates for detainees praised the decision, reinforcing that government contractors are not shielded by sovereign immunity and must follow ordinary appellate procedures.

An attorney for the detainees highlighted that the ruling reinstates the general rule that government contractors aren’t immune and must adhere to standard appellate processes.

The case centers on two GEO policies aimed at cutting labor costs and whether they violated federal anti-forced labor laws and a Colorado law prohibiting unjust enrichment.

The broader context involves ongoing private detention contracts and multiple lawsuits challenging detainee labor and compensation practices, with varying outcomes.

Overall, the legal landscape shows persistent challenges to detainee-labor practices under private detention contracts.