American Civil Liberties Union v. Federal Election Commission
Headline: ACLU appeals against the Federal Election Commission accepted for review, consolidated, and scheduled for argument with briefing deadlines and a four-hour argument allotment set.
Holding: The Court noted probable jurisdiction, consolidated related appeals, set briefing deadlines, and scheduled a four-hour oral argument on September 8, 2003.
- Consolidates related appeals into a single Supreme Court proceeding.
- Sets firm deadlines for opening, answering, and reply briefs.
- Schedules a four-hour oral argument on September 8, 2003.
Summary
Background
The case involves the American Civil Liberties Union and the Federal Election Commission in a set of appeals arising from the District of Columbia. The Court recorded that it has probable jurisdiction over the appeals, consolidated related cases, and cited the lower-court reports at 251 F. Supp. 2d 176 and 948.
Reasoning
The Court’s action is procedural: it noted probable jurisdiction (meaning it tentatively agreed it can hear these appeals), consolidated the cases, and set a schedule for how the parties must proceed. The opinion allocates a total of four hours for oral argument. It directs the parties who were plaintiffs in the District Court to file opening briefs by July 8, 2003; parties who were defendants in the District Court must file briefs by August 5, 2003; and any reply briefs by plaintiffs are due by August 21, 2003. Oral argument was set for 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 8, 2003.
Real world impact
This order moves the disputes into the Supreme Court’s calendar and forces a structured, time-lined process for written briefs and oral argument. It does not resolve the legal questions on the merits; instead, it establishes that the Court will hear the consolidated appeals and tells the parties and public when briefing and argument will occur.
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