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Brent Brewbaker v. United States

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, No. 22-4544 · judgment December 1, 2023


Certiorari denied · November 12, 2024
Pre-decision estimate: 6% cert probability (95% interval 4%–9%)

Before the decision, modestly above the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for a circuit split argued in the petition, a dissent in the court below (flagged in the petition), and counsel who has filed here before.

Questions presented

  1. Section 1 of the Sherman Act criminalizes “[e]very contract . . . in restraint of trade.” 15 U.S.C. § 1. This prohibition cannot be applied literally because it proscribes all contracts, thus leaving courts to define the offense. Does the criminal provision of Section 1 of the Sherman Act violate Article 1 of, and the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to, the United States Constitution?

  2. Did the court of appeals correctly apply the constitutional harmless-error test when it “presumed” that the jury was not affected by a constitutionally erroneous jury instruction?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Elliot Sol Abrams
Cheshire Parker Schneider, PLLC

For respondent
Elizabeth B. Prelogar
Solicitor General

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Related
Vide, 23-1365

Proceedings

  1. Nov 12 2024
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Oct 23 2024
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 11/8/2024.
  3. Sep 16 2024
    Reply of petitioner Brent Brewbaker filed.
  4. Sep 04 2024
    Brief of respondent United States in opposition filed.
  5. Aug 01 2024
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due September 4, 2024)