Plain-English summary
Court says disability claimants need not raise Appointments Clause challenge with ALJ before suing in federal court
The Supreme Court held that people seeking Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income do not have to raise an Appointments Clause challenge to an administrative law judge’s (ALJ’s) appointment during the agency proceedings before bringing that constitutional claim in federal court. The Court reversed the Eighth Circuit and remanded the cases for further proceedings.
Why this matters
The ruling makes it easier for Social Security claimants to challenge the constitutional appointment of the ALJ who decided their claims by allowing them to bring that challenge in federal court without having raised it earlier in the agency process. That affects how quickly and where claimants can press constitutional objections, and it limits the Social Security Administration’s ability to insist on administrative exhaustion for such claims.
Who may feel it
- People applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Administrative law judges (ALJs) and the Social Security Administration
- Federal courts that review Social Security decisions
- Attorneys representing disability claimants
Key questions
- Must a Social Security disability or SSI claimant present an Appointments Clause challenge to the administrative law judge who decided the claim before raising that challenge in federal court?