Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
United States v. Jose Luis Vaello Madero
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, No. 19-1390 · judgment April 10, 2020
Decided · April 21, 2022
Pre-decision estimate: 46% cert probability (95% interval 32%–61%)
Before the decision, about 11.2× the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for a federal-government petitioner, counsel who has won certiorari before, and a First Circuit decision below.
Question presented
Whether Congress violated the equal-protection component of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment by establishing Supplemental Security Income-a program that provides benefits to needy aged, blind, and disabled individuals-in the 50 States and the District of Columbia, and in the Northern Mariana Islands pursuant to a negotiated covenant, but not extending it to Puerto Rico.
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Elizabeth B. Prelogar
Solicitor General
For respondent
Hermann Ferre
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt and Mosle LLP
Case
Conference history
Distributed for 6 conferences
Amicus briefs
5 cert-stage · 24 merits
(1 supporting pet./neither, 23 respondent)
Argument & decision
Argued November 9, 2021 — Curtis E. Gannon · Hermann Ferré. Audio and transcript
Decided April 21, 2022. Opinion by Kavanaugh.
Proceedings
- May 23 2022Judgment Issued
- Apr 21 2022Judgment REVERSED. Kavanaugh, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Thomas, Breyer, Alito, Kagan, Gorsuch, and Barrett, JJ., joined. Thomas, J., and Gorsuch, J., filed concurring opinions. Sotomayor, J., filed a dissenting opinion.
- Nov 09 2021Argued. For petitioner: Curtis E. Gannon, Deputy Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. For respondent: Hermann Ferré, New York, N. Y.
- Nov 08 2021Motion for leave to file amicus brief out of time filed by Gregorio Igartua DENIED.
- Oct 22 2021Motion for leave to file amicus brief out of time filed by Gregorio Igartua.
- Sep 29 2021Reply of petitioner United States of America filed. (Distributed)
- Sep 21 2021CIRCULATED
- Sep 08 2021ARGUMENT SET FOR Tuesday, November 9, 2021.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amici curiae of Plaintiffs in Peña Martínez v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amici curiae of Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi and the New Progressive Party filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amici curiae of The District of Columbia, Guam, and 16 other states and territories. filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of University of Puerto Rico Law School Amicus Justitiae Probono Project filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amici curiae of American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, et al. filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amici curiae of National Disability Rights Network, et al. filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of Hon. Jenniffer A. Gonzalez Colon, Resident Commissioner for Puerto Rico filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of U.S. Citizens for Equal Protection, Inc. filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of Medicaid and Medicare Advantage Products Association of Puerto Rico filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of Senate of Puerto Rico filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of League of United Latin American Citizens filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of Diálogo Por Puerto Rico filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amici curiae of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, et al. filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amici curiae of Public Benefits Scholars filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of Virgin Islands Bar Association filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amici curiae of Puerto Rico House of Representatives filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of American Bar Association filed.
- Sep 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of Members of the Congressional Shadow Delegation of Puerto Rico filed. (Distributed)
- Sep 03 2021Brief amici curiae of AARP, AARP Foundation, Justice in Aging, National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives filed.
- Sep 03 2021Brief amici curiae of The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), et al., filed.
- Sep 02 2021Blanket Consent filed by Respondent, Jose Luis Vaello-Madero
- Sep 02 2021Brief amicus curiae of Commonwealth of Puerto Rico filed.
- Aug 31 2021Blanket Consent filed by Petitioner, United States of America
- Aug 30 2021Brief of respondent Jose Luis Vaello-Madero filed.
- Aug 21 2021Brief amici curiae of Plaintiff in Ruiz-Aviles v. SSA, et al. filed.
- Jun 14 2021Informative of Gregorio Igartua not accepted for filing. (July 23, 2021 - not type of document to be submitted electronically).
- Jun 07 2021Brief of petitioner United States of America filed.
- Jun 07 2021Joint appendix filed. (Statement of cost filed.)
- Jun 07 2021Brief amicus curiae of Interamerican Institute for Constitutional Rights in support of neither party filed.
- May 28 2021Letter of supplement to request for further extension of time filed.
- May 28 2021Motion for a further extension of time to file the briefs on the merits granted. The time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits is further extended to and including June 7, 2021. The time to file respondent's brief on the merits is further extended to and including August 30, 2021.
- May 27 2021Motion for a further extension of time to file the briefs on the merits filed.
- Mar 22 2021Joint motion to extend the time to file the briefs on the merits granted. The time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits is extended to and including June 1, 2021. The time to file respondent's brief on the merits is extended to and including August 16, 2021.
- Mar 17 2021Joint motion for an extension of time to file the briefs on the merits filed.
- Mar 01 2021Petition GRANTED.
- Feb 22 2021DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/26/2021.
- Feb 12 2021DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/19/2021.
- Jan 19 2021DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/22/2021.
- Jan 11 2021DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/15/2021.
- Jan 04 2021DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/8/2021.
- Nov 24 2020DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/11/2020.
- Nov 24 2020Reply of petitioner United States of America filed. (Distributed)
- Nov 09 2020Brief amici curiae of Plaintiffs in Peña Martínez v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services filed.
- Nov 09 2020Response to petition from respondent Jose Luis Vaello-Madero filed.
- Nov 09 2020Brief amicus curiae of Virgin Islands Bar Association filed.
- Nov 09 2020Brief amicus curiae of Commonwealth of Puerto Rico filed.
- Nov 06 2020Brief amicus curiae of Gregorio Igartua (11/17/2020) filed.
- Oct 29 2020Brief amicus curiae of Carlos Delgado Altieri, Mayor of the Municipality of Isabela, Puerto Rico filed.
- Sep 14 2020Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including November 9, 2020.
- Sep 11 2020Motion to extend the time to file a response from October 9, 2020 to November 9, 2020, submitted to The Clerk.
- Sep 04 2020Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 9, 2020)