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Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC

Consolidated with:

Docket No. Argument Opinion Vote Author Term
18-1334 Oct 15, 2019 Jun 1, 2020 9-0 Breyer OT 2019

Holding: The Constitution's appointments clause does not restrict the appointment or selection of members of Puerto Rico"s Financial Oversight and Management Board, who are appointed by the president without the Senate"s advice and consent.

Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 9-0, in an opinion by Justice Breyer on June 1, 2020. Justices Thomas and Sotomayor filed opinions concurring in the judgment.

DateProceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
04/23/2019Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due May 24, 2019)
05/24/2019Letter of Solicitor General received.
05/24/2019Response to petition from respondents Aurelius Investment, LLC, et al. filed.
05/24/2019Brief of respondents Uni"n de Trabajadores de la Industria El"ctrica y Riego, Inc. ("UTIER") in opposition filed.
05/30/2019Corporate Disclosure Statement filed with respect to brief in opposition of respondents Union de Trabajadores de la Industria Electrica y Riego, Inc. (UTIER).
06/10/2019Letter of June 10, 2019 from counsel for the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico filed.
06/11/2019Letter of June 11, 2019 from respondents Uni"n de Trabajadores de la Industria El"ctrica y Riego, Inc. ("UTIER") filed.
06/17/2019DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/20/2019.
06/20/2019Petition GRANTED. The petitions for writs of certiorari in Nos. 18-1334, 18-1475, 18-1496, 18-1514 and 18-1521 are granted. The cases are consolidated, and will be set for argument in the second week of the October 2019 argument session. Parties challenging the First Circuit"s ruling on the Appointments Clause issue shall file an opening brief on that issue on or before Thursday, July 25, 2019. The briefs are to bear a light blue cover and are limited to 15,000 words. Parties supporting the First Circuit"s ruling on the Appointments Clause issue and challenging the ruling on the de facto officer doctrine issue shall file a consolidated opening brief on or before Thursday, August 22, 2019. The briefs are to bear a light red cover and are limited to 20,000 words. Parties challenging the First Circuit"s ruling on the Appointments Clause issue and supporting the ruling on the de facto officer doctrine issue shall file a consolidated opening brief and reply on or before Thursday, September 19, 2019. The briefs are to bear a yellow cover and are limited to 13,000 words. Parties challenging the First Circuit"s ruling on the de facto officer doctrine issue shall file with the Clerk and serve upon counsel a reply brief limited to that issue on or before 2 p.m., Tuesday, October 8, 2019. The briefs are to bear a tan cover and are limited to 6,000 words. Amicus curiae briefs challenging the First Circuit"s ruling on the Appointments Clause issue and/or supporting the ruling on the de facto officer doctrine issue are to be filed on or before Thursday, August 1, 2019. The briefs are to bear a light green cover and are limited to 9,000 words. Amicus curiae briefs supporting the First Circuit"s ruling on the Appointments Clause issue and/or challenging the ruling on the de facto officer doctrine issue are to be filed on or before Thursday, August 29, 2019. The briefs are to bear a dark green cover and are limited to 9,000 words. An amicus curiae shall file only a single brief.
06/20/2019Because the Court has consolidated these cases for briefing and oral argument, future filings and activity in the cases will now be reflected on the docket of No. 18-1334. Subsequent filings in these cases must therefore be submitted through the electronic filing system in No. 18-1334. Each document submitted in connection with one or more of these cases must include on its cover the case number and caption for each case in which the filing is intended to be submitted. Where a filing is submitted in fewer than all of the cases, the docket entry will reflect the case number(s) in which the fling is submitted; a document filed in all of the consolidated cases will be noted as "VIDED."
07/01/2019SET FOR ARGUMENT on Tuesday, October 15, 2019. VIDED
07/17/2019Blanket Consent filed by COFINA Senior Bondholders" Coalition.
07/17/2019Blanket Consent filed by Finanical Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico.
07/17/2019Letter of COFINA Senior Bondholders" Coalition filed.
07/18/2019Blanket Consent filed by United States.
07/18/2019Blanket Consent filed by Uni"n de Trabajadores de la Industria El"ctrica y Riego, Inc. ("UTIER").
07/19/2019Blanket Consent filed by The Official Committee of Retired Employees of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
07/19/2019Blanket Consent filed by Aurelius Investment, LLC, Aurelius Opportunities Fund, LLC, Lex Claims, LLC, Assured Guaranty Corp., and Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp.
07/23/2019Blanket Consent filed by Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of All Title III Debtors (other than COFINA).
07/25/2019Joint appendix filed. VIDED. (Statement of costs filed)
07/25/2019Brief of Finanical Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico filed. VIDED
07/25/2019Brief of The Official Committee of Retired Employees of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico filed. VIDED.
07/25/2019Brief of Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority filed. VIDED.
07/25/2019Brief of United States filed. VIDED.
07/25/2019Brief of Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of all Title III Debtors (other than COFINA) filed. VIDED.
07/26/2019Blanket Consent filed by Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority
07/30/2019Brief amicus curiae of Alan Mygatt-Tauber filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/01/2019CIRCULATED
08/01/2019Brief amicus curiae of DRA Entities filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/16/2019Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 1st Circuit.
08/19/2019Brief amicus curiae of Anthony Michael Sabino filed (in 18-1334). (Distributed)
08/21/2019Brief amicus curiae of Former Governor of Puerto Rico, Anibal Acevedo-Vila filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/22/2019Brief of respondent Uni"n de Trabajadores de la Industria El"ctrica y Riego, Inc. ("UTIER") filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/22/2019Brief of respondents Aurelius Investment, LLC, Aurelius Opportunities Fund, LLC, Lex Claims, LLC, Assured Guaranty Corp., and Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/26/2019The record from the U.S.C.A. 1st Circuit is located on PACER, with the exception of the appendix which was received electronically.
08/28/2019Brief amicus curiae of Pacific Legal Foundation filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/28/2019Brief amici curiae of Elected Officers of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019Motion of the Solicitor General for enlargement of time for oral argument and for divided argument filed. VIDED.
08/29/2019Brief amicus curiae of Washington Legal Foundation filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019Joint motion of Aurelius Investment, LLC, et al., and Union de Trabajadores de la Industria Electrica y Riego, Inc. (UTIER) for enlargement of time for oral argument and for divided argument filed. VIDED.
08/29/2019Brief amicus curiae of Autonomous Municipality of San Juan filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019Brief amicus curiae of Equally American Legal Defense and Education Fund in support of neither party filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019Brief amici curiae of Former Governors Sila M. Calderon and Alejandro Garcia Padilla filed (also in 18-1496 & 18-1514). VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019Brief amicus curiae of Cato Institute filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019Brief amici curiae of American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and the ACLU of Puerto Rico filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019Brief amicus curiae of Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019Brief amicus curiae of Virgin Islands Bar Association filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019U.S.D.C. District of Puerto Rico record is located on pacer. Confidential filings received in electronic format.
08/29/2019Brief amici curiae of Scholars of Constitutional Law and Legal History filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019Brief amici curiae of Former Federal and Local Judges filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
08/29/2019Letter Request for The Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority to be heard at oral argument on behalf of appellants on Appointments Clause issue of Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority not accepted for filing. (September 06, 2019)
08/29/2019Motion for divided argument filed by Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority. VIDED.
09/11/2019Motion of the Solicitor General for enlargement of time for oral argument and for divided argument GRANTED IN PART. VIDED.
09/11/2019Joint motion of Aurelius Investment, LLC, et al., and Union de Trabajadores de la Industria Electrica y Riego, Inc. (UTIER) for enlargement of time for oral argument and for divided argument GRANTED IN PART. VIDED.
09/11/2019Motion for divided argument filed by Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority DENIED. VIDED.
09/11/2019Upon consideration of the August 29, 2019 motions for divided argument, a total of 80 minutes is allotted for consolidated oral argument on both questions presented, and the time is divided as follows: 20 minutes to the Financial Oversight and Management Board, 20 minutes to the Solicitor General, 30 minutes to Aurelius Investment, LLC, et al., and 10 minutes to UTIER. VIDED.
09/19/2019Brief of Finanical Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
09/19/2019Brief of COFINA Senior Bondholders" Coalition filed (supporting ruling on de facto officer doctrine issue). VIDED. (Distributed)
09/19/2019Brief of The Official Committee of Retired Employees of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
09/19/2019Reply of petitioner Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
09/19/2019Reply of respondent United States filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
09/19/2019Reply of respondent Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of All Title III Debtors (other than COFINA) filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
10/04/2019Reply of respondent Uni"n de Trabajadores de la Industria El"ctrica y Riego, Inc. ("UTIER") filed. VIDED (Distributed)
10/08/2019Reply of respondents Aurelius Investment, LLC, Aurelius Opportunities Fund, LLC, Lex Claims, LLC, Assured Guaranty Corp., and Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. filed. VIDED. (Distributed)
10/15/2019Argued. For Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico: Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., Washington, D. C. For United States: Jeffrey B. Wall, Principal Deputy Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. For Aurelius Investment, LLC, et al.: Theodore B. Olson, Washington, D. C. For UTIER: Jessica E. M"ndez-Colberg, Ponce, P. R. VIDED.
06/01/2020Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Breyer, J., delivered the <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/18-1334_new1_1a7d.pdf'>opinion</a> of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Ginsburg, Alito, Kagan, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh, JJ., joined. Thomas, J., and Sotomayor, J., filed opinions concurring in the judgment. VIDED.
07/06/2020JUDGMENT ISSUED.