The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled against GEO Group in a case brought by immigration detainees who alleged forced labor and pay practices while they were held in Colorado, a procedural step that keeps the underlying dispute moving in lower court. The justices declined GEO Group’s request for permission to file a quick appeal, according to the Associated Press.
The lawsuit is rooted in allegations tied to detainees housed in Aurora, where the complaint says detainees were required to perform unpaid janitorial work and other jobs. The detainees’ suit also alleges they received only limited compensation intended to supplement what they said were meager meals, according to the AP report.
GEO Group defended its conduct and asked the Supreme Court to treat the case differently because it is a government contractor, arguing that it should be immune from the suit. The company sought to overturn a lower court decision that refused to dismiss the case on that immunity theory.
After a judge disagreed with GEO Group’s position, the company asked the Supreme Court to allow it to pursue the appeal quickly. The justices refused, leaving the procedural posture in place for the litigation to continue.
Justice Elena Kagan wrote that if GEO Group is eventually found liable, it “may of course appeal,” but the company must wait and proceed through the normal path of one case and one appeal, the AP reported. The AP said the outcome drew agreement from all nine justices, though two justices—Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito—took different approaches on the reasoning.
Jennifer Bennett, an attorney for the Colorado detainees, applauded the decision, saying the Supreme Court’s ruling reaffirmed a “straightforward rule” about how government contractors are treated in litigation. She said GEO Group does not qualify for sovereign immunity and must follow the same procedural principle that applies to other litigants.
The AP reported that GEO Group, based in Florida, is one of the largest private detention providers in the country, with management or ownership of about 77,000 beds across 98 facilities. The company’s contracts also include a federal immigration detention center mentioned in the AP account involving Newark, New Jersey, and the arrest of Mayor Ras Baraka at a protest in May 2025—an episode the AP said came before a separate case against the Democrat was dropped.
The AP also noted that similar forced-labor or related litigation has been filed by immigration detainees in other places. It cited a case in Washington state in which the company was ordered to pay more than $23 million.
For detainees in the Colorado case, Wednesday’s ruling does not end the suit. Instead, it blocks GEO Group from obtaining an immediate, procedural shortcut, while the parties continue litigating the merits in the lower courts.