The 4 NFIB Dissenters, and Not the En Banc D.C. Circuit, Will Decide What Happens Next

July 23rd, 2014

Yesterday I wrote two posts concerning the timing of the appeals in Halbig (CADC) and King (CA4). I then engaged with an extended twitter dialogue with Steve Vladeck and Ian Millhiser (that cost me way too much cruise wifi money). Here, let me add some additional thoughts.

The plaintiffs in both Halbig and King are represented by Mike Carvin at Jones Day (who represented NFIB in NFIB v. Sebelius). It would behoove Carvin to file, as soon as possible, a cert petition. The United States will be filing, not quite as soon, a petition for rehearing en banc in the D.C. Circuit. The United States will certainly oppose the cert petition, and ask the Court to let the Circuit split ripen. (Translation, let the nuclear panel eliminate the Circuit split).

Under normal circumstances, this would be the prudent course of action. Let the full En Banc D.C. Circuit take a stab at it, and then review that cert petition.

But we aren’t in normal circumstances. This is Obamacare. Four justices were very, very bitter that the Chief upheld the mandate in NFIB. Four justices now have the opportunity to strike down–effectively–the mandate in 36 states. Four votes are all you need for certiorari. Plus, even if the United States requests a extension, this case would still be argued during OT 14. If en banc goes forward, the decision would come OT 15, right before another presidential election.

In fact, I had this odd premonition that if the Court grants cert on King before Halbig en banc proceedings, there may even be a dissent from the grant of certiorari (Sotomayor), arguing that this case should be allowed to ripen. (Remember Justice Breyer did something like that two years ago in a campaign finance case from Montana).

Gerard Magliocca offers similar thoughts at Balkin:

First, I think that there are four Justices who will be waiting on the front steps of the Court for the certiorari petition from the Fourth Circuit (which ruled in favor of the Administration on the same issue yesterday).  Thus, the question of whether the DC Circuit will go en banc in Halbig is, to my mind, largely beside the point.  In an ordinary case, one would expect the Justices to wait and see if a circuit split could be healed before acting, but this is not an ordinary case.  The Justices who lost in 2012 on the individual mandate challenge would love to get another at-bat.

All this talk about the nuclear option is besides the point. The 4 NFIB dissenters will hold the key to when this case reaches the Supreme Court.

Update: Harry Reid continues to extoll the benefits of the nuclear option:

Asked by reporters if his decision to employ the nuclear option to fill the circuit was vindicated, Reid said based on “simple math, you bet.”

Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., said he wouldn’t be surprised if the full court ruled in the White House’s favor.

“There was a strong conservative Republican majority on the D.C. Circuit until we filled the vacancies,” Durbin said. “Now it’s a balanced circuit, so since one of the Republicans of the three who ruled was on our side I wouldn’t give up on a…ruling coming our way, toward the administration.”