October 29, 2007

SCOTUSblog has details, including links to briefs; see also Stuart Taylor's take and our earlier coverage. The Court is ruling on narrow technical issues of the interaction between maritime law and the Clean Air Act, but not on the general constitutionality of punitive damages; Justice Alito is recused, which means plaintiffs will need only four justices to obtain an affirmance of the Ninth Circuit's lawless decision. The Court denied cert on the cross-appeal for even higher punitive damages.