October Term 2023 · Docket 22-859

Can the SEC enforce fraud claims without a jury trial?

The SEC seeks to impose civil penalties without a jury. Jarkesy argues the Seventh Amendment requires a jury for such claims.

Official caption
SEC v. Jarkesy
Latest argument session
Latest official Court activity
Latest verified event
Decided
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Verified source milestones

  1. — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
  2. — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
  3. — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
  4. — An official Court opinion was verified.

The arguments, in order

This case may have been argued more than once. Each entry below uses that session's official transcript. Later arguments do not erase earlier ones.

  1. Argument 1 ·

    What happened at the argument

    Mr. Fletcher argued Congress authorized agencies to conduct adjudications.

    Mr. McCulloch argued the SEC's authority expanded beyond its original foundation.

    argument_summary

    Read the official transcript for this argument · Official argument details

    Sources used for this argument breakdown

A citizen's guide to the whole case

What this case is about

The dispute centers on whether the SEC can adjudicate fraud claims and impose civil penalties without a jury trial. The SEC argues Congress authorized agencies to conduct such adjudications. Jarkesy contends the Seventh Amendment guarantees a jury for these claims.

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How the case got here

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on November 29, 2023.

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What each side wants

The SEC wants to enforce fraud claims without a jury trial.

Jarkesy wants a jury trial for his fraud claims.

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What each side says

The SEC argues Congress authorized agencies to conduct adjudications and impose penalties.

Jarkesy argues the Seventh Amendment requires a jury for fraud claims.

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What the justices asked

Justice Sotomayor asked about the definition of private rights.

Chief Justice Roberts asked about the public rights doctrine.

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Why it matters

This case determines whether federal agencies can adjudicate civil fraud claims without a jury. The outcome affects the scope of administrative adjudication and the right to a jury trial.

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What happens next

This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity.

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Official Court provenance

Official docket and case history · Official Supreme Court oral-argument detail page

Verified official opinions and orders

Title and summary sources

Revision history

  1. Revision 1 · Post Opinion ·

    Correction: Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.

  2. Revision 2 · Post Opinion ·

    Correction: Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.

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