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On Friday, November 7, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a petition for cert in King v. Burwell, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals case concerning the payment of subsidies to participants in federally-run versus state-run health care exchanges. Many believe a decision that cuts against the government's interpretation of the statute could undermine Obamacare. A temporary circuit split on the issue was obviated weeks ago when the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to en banc review of a three-judge panel decision that reached a result different than had the Fourth Circuit. Our experts discussed why the Court agreed to hear a case that upheld a federal government interpretation of a federal statute.

Meanwhile, LSU Law School Professor John Baker has written a paper (available here) discussing the administration of the settlement fund in the BP Horizon oil spill. In that matter, BP asserts that the fund administrator is awarding damages to plaintiffs who were not harmed by the oil spill, and BP seeks relief in the Court. Later the week of November 10, the Court is expected to consider a cert grant in this important case.

  • Prof. Jonathan H. Adler, Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
  • Prof. John S. Baker, Jr., Visiting Professor, Georgetown University Law Center and Professor Emeritus, LSU Law School