{"argument_date":"2003-12-01T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2003-12-01T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2003","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","paragraphs":["Edwin Kneedler argued the Ninth Circuit erred in allowing the suit.","Kneedler stated Congress treated the Postal Service as a federal entity.","Krent argued the Postal Service fits the definition of a person.","Krent noted Congress authorized the Postal Service to compete in markets."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 35-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 35-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 25-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 51, lines 25-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-57"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 57, lines 27-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 57, lines 27-29"}]}],"caption":"Postal Service v. Flamingo Industries (USA) Ltd.","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:30.654346Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"},{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:30.680984Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"The dispute centers on whether the Postal Service qualifies as a person under federal antitrust laws.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 35-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 35-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 25-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 51, lines 25-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-57"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2003-12-01T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2003","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/02-1290.html","primary_docket":"02-1290","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T16:05:44.887356Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":1},{"correction_note":"Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.","created_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":2}],"schema_version":"1.1","sections":[{"heading":"What this case is about","paragraphs":["The case tests the legal status of the Postal Service in commercial markets."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 35-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 35-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 25-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 51, lines 25-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-57"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on December 1, 2003."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 57, lines 27-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 57, lines 27-29"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["The Postal Service seeks dismissal of the antitrust lawsuit.","Flamingo Industries seeks to recover treble damages from the Postal Service."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 35-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 35-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 25-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 51, lines 25-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-57"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["The Postal Service argues Congress treated it as a federal entity.","Flamingo Industries argues the Postal Service acts as a commercial person."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 35-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 35-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 25-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 51, lines 25-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-57"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Chief Justice Rehnquist asked if the Postal Service filed unrelated copyrights.","The Court questioned the scope of the Postal Service's commercial activities."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 57, lines 27-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 57, lines 27-29"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This case defines the scope of federal antitrust liability for government agencies."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 35-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 35-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 25-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 51, lines 25-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-57"}]},{"heading":"What happens next","paragraphs":["This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 57, lines 27-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 57, lines 27-29"}]}],"slug":"2003-02-1290-postal-service-v-flamingo-industries-usa-ltd","term":"2003","title":"Can private parties sue the Postal Service for antitrust violations?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 35-29","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 35-29"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 51, lines 25-5","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 51, lines 25-5"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-57","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2003/02-1290.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-57"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}