No. 17-1594
Title:Return Mail, Inc., Petitioner
v.
United States Postal Service, et al.
Docketed:May 24, 2018
Linked with 17A879
Lower Ct:United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
   Case Numbers:(2016-1502)
   Decision Date:August 28, 2017
   Rehearing Denied:December 15, 2017
  Discretionary Court Decision Date:
Questions Presented

DateProceedings and Orders
Feb 16 2018Application (17A879) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from March 15, 2018 to May 14, 2018, submitted to The Chief Justice.
Main DocumentProof of ServiceOtherLower Court Orders/Opinions
Feb 28 2018Application (17A879) granted by The Chief Justice extending the time to file until May 14, 2018.
May 14 2018Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due June 25, 2018)
PetitionAppendixCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Jun 12 2018Blanket Consent filed by Petitioner, Return Mail, Inc..
Blanket Consent
Jun 22 2018Motion to extend the time to file a response from June 25, 2018 to July 25, 2018, submitted to The Clerk.
Main Document
Jun 22 2018Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including July 25, 2018.
Jun 25 2018Brief amicus curiae of Kenneth O. Simon filed.
Main DocumentProof of ServiceCertificate of Word Count
Jun 25 2018Brief amici curiae of 15 Law Professors filed.
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Jul 17 2018Motion to extend the time to file a response from July 25, 2018 to August 24, 2018, submitted to The Clerk.
Main Document
Jul 18 2018Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including August 24, 2018.
Aug 13 2018Motion to extend the time to file a response from August 24, 2018 to September 7, 2018, submitted to The Clerk.
Main Document
Aug 13 2018Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including September 7, 2018.
Sep 07 2018Brief of respondents United States Postal Service, et al. in opposition filed.
Proof of ServiceMain Document
Sep 21 2018Reply of petitioner Return Mail, Inc. filed.
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Sep 26 2018DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/12/2018.
Oct 22 2018DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/26/2018.
Oct 26 2018Petition GRANTED limited to Question 1 presented by the petition.
Nov 26 2018Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner Return Mail, Inc.
Main DocumentProof of Service
Dec 10 2018Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner GRANTED.
Dec 10 2018Brief of petitioner Return Mail, Inc. filed.
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Dec 17 2018Brief amicus curiae of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America filed.
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Dec 17 2018Brief amici curiae of The Cato Institute and Professor Gregory Dolin filed.
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Dec 17 2018Brief amicus curiae of Intellectual Property Owners Association in support of neither party filed.
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Dec 17 2018Brief amicus curiae of New York Intellectual Property Law Association in support of neither party filed.
Main DocumentProof of ServiceCertificate of Word Count
Dec 17 2018Brief amicus curiae of American Intellectual Property Law Association in support of neither party filed.
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Dec 17 2018Brief amici curiae of Seven Law Professors filed.
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Dec 17 2018Brief amicus curiae of Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America filed.
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Dec 21 2018SET FOR ARGUMENT on Wednesday, February 20, 2019.
Jan 09 2019Brief of respondents United States Postal Service, et al. filed.
Proof of ServiceMain Document
Jan 11 2019Record requested from the U.S.C.A. Federal Circuit.
Jan 15 2019CIRCULATED
Jan 15 2019Brief amicus curiae of R Street Institute filed. (Distributed)
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Jan 15 2019Record from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is located on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office web site. Instructions to access the record is electronic. The record is complete.
Jan 16 2019Brief amicus curiae of Professor Tejas N. Narechania filed. (Distributed)
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Jan 16 2019Motion for leave to file amicus brief filed by Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Main DocumentProof of ServiceCertificate of Word Count
Jan 23 2019RESCHEDULED FOR ARGUMENT ON Tuesday, February 19, 2019.
Jan 23 2019Record from the U.S.C.A. Federal Circuit is electronic and located on PACER. The record is complete.
Feb 08 2019Reply of petitioner Return Mail, Inc. filed. (Distributed)
Main DocumentCertificate of Word CountProof of Service
Feb 19 2019Motion for leave to file amicus brief filed by Electronic Frontier Foundation GRANTED.
Feb 19 2019Argued. For petitioner: Beth S. Brinkmann, Washington, D. C. For respondents: Malcolm L. Stewart, Deputy Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C.
Jun 10 2019Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Sotomayor, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh, JJ., joined. Breyer, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Ginsburg and Kagan, JJ., joined.
Jul 12 2019JUDGMENT ISSUED.

NAMEADDRESSPHONE
Attorneys for Petitioner
Richard L. Rainey
    Counsel of Record
Covington and Burling LLP
One City Center
850 Tenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20001-4956

rrainey@cov.com
202-662-6000
Party name: Return Mail, Inc.
Attorneys for Respondents
Noel J. Francisco
    Counsel of Record
Solicitor General
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

SupremeCtBriefs@USDOJ.gov
202-514-2217
Party name: United States Postal Service, et al.
Other
Gregory Andrew Castanias
    Counsel of Record
Jones Day
51 Louisiana Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20001

gcastanias@jonesday.com
202-879-3639
Party name: The Cato Institute and Professor Gregory Dolin
Jonathan Goldman Cedarbaum
    Counsel of Record
WilmerHale
1875 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20006

jonathan.cedarbaum@wilmerhale.com
(202) 663-6315
Party name: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Lauren A. Degnan
    Counsel of Record
Fish & Richardson, P.C.
1000 Maine Ave.
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20024

degnan@fr.com
2027835070
Party name: Intellectual Property Owners Association
Matthew James Dowd
    Counsel of Record
Dowd Scheffel PLLC
1717 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 1025
Washington, DC 20006

mjdowd@dowdpllc.com
(202) 559-9175
Party name: 15 Law Professors
Matthew James Dowd
    Counsel of Record
Dowd PLLC
1717 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 1025
Washington, DC 20006

mdowd@dowdscheffel.com
202-573-3853
Party name: Seven Law Professors
Charles Robert Macedo
    Counsel of Record
Amster, Rothstein & Ebenstein LLP
90 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016

cmacedo@arelaw.com
212-336-8074
Party name: NEW YORK INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW ASSOCIATION
Ralph Stanley Morris
    Counsel of Record
Cartee & Morris LLC
2325 HENRY ST.
Guntersville, AL 35976

stan@carteemorris.com
(256) 582-9500
Party name: Kenneth O. Simon
Pratik Arvind Shah
    Counsel of Record
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP
1333 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Washington, DC 02109

pshah@akingump.com
202-887-4210
Party name: Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America
Blair Alexander Silver
    Counsel of Record
Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
1100 13th Street NW
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20005-4051

bsilver@bannerwitcoff.com
202-824-3000
Party name: American Intellectual Property Law Association
Sarah Gardner Boyce
    Counsel of Record
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
1155 F Street NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20004

sarah.boyce@mto.com
202.220.1100
Party name: PROFESSOR TEJAS N. NARECHANIA
Charles Duan
    Counsel of Record
R Street Institute
1212 New York Ave NW Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005

supremecourt.gov@cduan.com
202-525-5717
Party name: R Street Institute
Alexandra Helen Moss
    Counsel of Record
Electronic Frontier Foundation
815 Eddy Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

alex@eff.org
4154369333
Party name: ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION