On This Day — 8 October 1975.

John Lennon won a major court decision barring US immigration officials from deporting him over a marijuana conviction.

It was the latest and arguably most important chapter in a bizarre legal battle that had begun several years earlier.

Lennon had moved to New York with Yoko Ono but his life in America became considerably more complicated when immigration authorities began proceedings to deport him over a 1968 cannabis conviction in Britain.

Lennon believed there was more to it than an old drug conviction. He had become increasingly outspoken against the Vietnam War and was associating with prominent anti-war activists. His celebrity gave his political views a reach that clearly attracted attention from the Nixon administration.

The former Beatle wasn't about to quietly pack his bags.

With immigration lawyer Leon Wildes representing him, Lennon fought the deportation through the courts. On 8 October 1975, a federal appeals court delivered a major victory, ruling that immigration authorities could not use deportation proceedings selectively for political purposes.

For Lennon, it was a remarkable turnaround. The man who had once told the world to “Give Peace a Chance” had spent years fighting to remain in the country where he wanted to live, work and raise his family.

And there was a nice twist to the story.

Just a few months later, Lennon received his long-awaited green card, finally securing permanent residency in the United States.

So, in the end, the US government didn't get rid of John Lennon.

Imagine that.