Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC
View Official PDFBelow are plain-language sections to help you understand what the Court decided in Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC and why it matters. Quotes are taken from the syllabus (the Court’s short summary at the start of the opinion).
Summary
A short, plain-English overview of Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC.
The Supreme Court addressed whether district courts have jurisdiction over constitutional challenges to the structure or existence of the SEC and FTC. The Court applied the Thunder Basin factors, determining that such claims are not the type Congress intended to be reviewed within statutory schemes. The decision reversed the Ninth Circuit's dismissal of Axon's claims and affirmed the Fifth Circuit's decision regarding Cochran.
Holding
The single most important “bottom line” of what the Court decided in Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC.
The Court held that the statutory review schemes in the Securities Exchange Act and Federal Trade Commission Act do not displace district court jurisdiction over constitutional challenges to the SEC or FTC.
Constitutional Concepts
These are the Constitution-related themes that appear in Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC. Click a concept to see other cases that involve the same idea.
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Why Administrative Law is relevant to Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC
The case addresses the constitutional limits on agency authority, specifically the separation of powers and the legitimacy of administrative proceedings.
Syllabus excerpt (verbatim)Cochran and Axon asserted that the tenure protections of the agencies' ALJs render them insufficiently accountable to the President, in violation of separation-of-powers principles.
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Why Appointments and Removals is relevant to Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC
The case involves constitutional rules governing the removal of federal officers, specifically the ALJs' tenure protections and their accountability to the President.
Syllabus excerpt (verbatim)Axon and Cochran will lose their rights not to undergo the complained-of agency proceedings if they cannot assert those rights until the proceedings are over.
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Why Judicial Review is relevant to Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC
The case discusses the power of courts to review and invalidate government action, particularly whether district courts have jurisdiction to hear constitutional challenges to agency proceedings.
Syllabus excerpt (verbatim)The statutory review schemes set out in the Securities Exchange Act and Federal Trade Commission Act do not displace a district court's federal-question jurisdiction over claims challenging as unconstitutional the structure or existence of the SEC or FTC.
Key Quotes
Short excerpts from the syllabus in Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC that support the summary and concepts above.
The statutory review schemes set out in the Securities Exchange Act and Federal Trade Commission Act do not displace a district court's federal-question jurisdiction.
Cochran and Axon assert a 'here-and-now injury' from being subjected to an illegitimate proceeding.
Judicial review of the structural constitutional claims would thus come too late to be meaningful.
