Pittston Coal Group, et al. v. Sebben, James, et al. (488 U.S. 105)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided December 6, 1988 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 488 U.S. 105 · 109 S. Ct. 414
- Decided
- December 6, 1988
- Term
- October Term 1988
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority author
- Justice Scalia
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
Opinion excerpt
Justice Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court. These consolidated cases call into question the Secretary of Labor’s interpretation of 30 U. S. C. § 902(f)(2), which, for specified categories of black lung benefit claimants, provides that “[cjriteria applied by the Secretary of Labor in the case of . . . any claim . . . shall not be more restrictive than the criteria applicable to a claim filed on June 30, 1973.” Respondents contend that interim regulations applied by the Secretary in adjudicating their claims, see 20 CFR pt. 727 (1988), did not comply with this provision. In Broyles v. Director, OWCP, 824 F. 2d 327 (CA4 1987) (No. 87-1095), the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit agreed, and directed the Secretary to adjudicate the claims pursued by respondents Broyles and Colley under the less restrictive standards in force on June 30, 1973. See 20 CFR § 410.490 (1973). In In re Sebben, 815 F. 2d 475 (CA8 1987) (Nos. 87-821 and 87-827), the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit similarly found the interim Labor regulation invalid under § 902(f)(2), and reversed the District Court’s refusal to issue a writ of mandamus compelling the Secretary to readjudicate a class of claims previously considered under the interim regulation, notwithstanding that the Secretary’s decision in those cases had become final. We granted certiorari, 484 U. S. 1058 (1988), to decide the…
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