Thunder Basin Coal Company v. Robert B. Reich, Secretary of Labor, et al. (510 U.S. 200)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided January 19, 1994 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 510 U.S. 200 · 114 S. Ct. 771
- Decided
- January 19, 1994
- Term
- October Term 1993
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice Blackmun
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court. In this case, we address the question whether the statutory-review scheme in the Federal Mine Safety and Health Amendments Act of 1977, 91 Stat. 1290, as amended, 30 U. S. C. § 801 et seq. (1988 ed. and Supp. IV) (Mine Act or Act), prevents a district court from exercising subject-matter jurisdiction over a pre-enforcement challenge to the Act. We hold that it does. I Congress adopted the Mine Act “to protect the health and safety of the Nation’s' coal or other miners.” 30 U. S. C. § 801(g). The Act requires the Secretary of Labor or his representative to conduct periodic, unannounced health and safety inspections of the Nation’s mines. Section § 813(f) provides: “[A] representative of the operator and a representative authorized by his miners shall be given an opportunity to accompany the Secretary or his authorized representative during the physical inspection of any coal or other mine ... for the purpose of aiding such inspection and to participate in pre- or post-inspection conferences held at the mine.” Regulations promulgated under this section define a miners’ representative as “[a]ny person or organization which represents two or more miners at a coal or other mine for the purposes of the Act.” 30 CFR § 40.1(b)(1) (1993). In addition to exercising these “walk-around” inspection rights under § 813(f), persons…
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