Seventh Amendment
Coverage of Seventh Amendment in the Nexus archive.
- AT&T and Verizon lose Supreme Court case over fines for selling location data
AT&T and Verizon lost a Supreme Court case challenging fines for selling users’ real-time location data without consent. The Court ruled the FCC’s penalty process did not violate the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial, resolving a split between the 5th and 2nd Circuit Courts. The companies were fined $104 million in 2024 for 2018 violations.
- Court rules against cell service providers over right to jury trial in FCC proceedings
The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that the FCC's process for imposing penalties on telecom companies for legal violations does not violate the Seventh Amendment's right to a jury trial. AT&T and Verizon had challenged $57 million and $47 million penalties, respectively, for mishandling customer data, but the Court upheld the FCC's authority to issue enforceable orders requiring payment.
- Supreme Court arguments make it clear that FCC fines are "nonbinding"
Supreme Court justices questioned AT&T and Verizon's claim that FCC fines violated their Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial. The court highlighted that companies could seek a jury trial by rejecting fines and waiting for enforcement. However, FCC fines are nonbinding and require court approval for enforcement, potentially benefiting regulated companies regardless of the case outcome.