Cite as: 526 U. S. 415 (1999)
Opinion of the Court
the disruption of some stores and his use of methods that we would all find objectionable if practiced upon us on a bus in the United States but which fall far short of the kind of atrocities attributed to McMullen and his associates." 121 F. 3d, at 524.
We do not understand the BIA to dispute that these considerations—gross disproportionality, atrociousness, and comparisons with previous decided cases—may be important in applying the serious nonpolitical crime exception. In fact, by the terms of the BIA's test (which is similar to the language quoted by the Court of Appeals from the U. N. Handbook), gross disproportion and atrociousness are relevant in the determination. According to the BIA: "In evaluating the political nature of a crime, we consider it important that the political aspect of the offense outweigh its common-law character. This would not be the case if the crime is grossly out of proportion to the political objective or if it involves acts of an atrocious nature." Matter of McMullen, 19 I. & N. Dec., at 97-98. See also Deportation Proceedings for Doherty, 13 Op. Off. Legal Counsel, at 22-26, rev'd on other grounds, Doherty v. INS, 908 F. 2d 1108 (CA2 1990), rev'd, 502 U. S. 314 (1992). The BIA's formulation does not purport to provide a comprehensive definition of the § 1253(h)(2)(C) exception, and the full elaboration of that standard should await further cases, consistent with the instruction our legal system always takes from considering discrete factual circumstances over time. See also 13 Op. Off. Legal Counsel, at 23 ("[T]he statute recognizes that cases involving alleged political crimes arise in myriad circumstances, and that what constitutes a 'serious nonpolitical crime' is not susceptible of rigid definition"). Our decision takes into account that the BIA's test identifies a general standard (whether the political aspect of an offense outweighs its common-law character) and then provides two more specific inquiries that may be used in applying the rule: whether there is a gross disproportion between means and
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