This educational guide is based on the linked primary sources. It is not a Court publication, is not affiliated with the Court, and is not legal advice.
In brief
Overview
The dispute centers on whether a pension‑plan administrator must honor a waiver of benefits in a divorce, with arguments about whether the plan’s governing documents or the beneficiary designation control the outcome.
Background and question before the Court
Justice Ginsburg asked whether the petitioner’s reply brief addressed the plan question.
Justice Scalia asked whether beneficiary designations are considered plan documents.
Justice Scalia further asked what would happen if the parties agreed to a waiver separate from a qualified domestic relations order.
Chief Justice Roberts asked whether the respondent had anything further to say about the plan‑document issue.
What each side argues
Respondent (Plan Administrator for DuPont Savings and Investment Plan)
Source-limited. The record does not yet support a complete account.
What happened at oral argument
What the Court decided
Why it matters
Terms to know
No glossary terms are available for this guide.
Primary sources
Read the source materials on the official site or open the immutable repository copy used for this guide.
- c343ac47f97712af55c6-r1-89e94da11ee70289.pdforal argument transcript
Guide generated September 22, 2026. Automated validation accepted this version.