[JURIST] The US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has thrown out a deportation order against a Syrian family which claimed its father would be tortured if returned to Syria. The family, which has lived in the Seattle area for over 10 years, overstayed their visa and sought asylum. A three-judge panel unanimously ruled that the Board of Immigration Appeals had abused its discretion by denying the family relief under the Convention Against Torture, which prohibits countries from deporting people to places where they are likely to be tortured or killed. The court also found the family suffered from bad legal representation and unfair rulings by immigration officials, who were ordered to give the family whatever relief was required by the treaty. Read the full opinion here [PDF]. AP has more.