Plain-English summary
Court says disability applicants need not raise Appointments Clause objections before the ALJ to get judicial review
The Supreme Court held (Apr. 22, 2021) that people seeking Social Security disability benefits do not have to raise Appointments Clause challenges to the appointment of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) at the agency level before bringing those challenges in federal court. The Court reversed and remanded the Tenth Circuit.
Why this matters
The ruling affects how and when Social Security applicants can raise constitutional challenges to the authority of ALJs. It makes it easier for claimants to bring Appointments Clause claims directly to federal court without having to litigate them first before the agency, affecting the pathway for constitutional review in disability cases.
Who may feel it
- Social Security disability applicants and claimants
- Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) and the Social Security Administration
- Federal courts that review Social Security decisions
- Attorneys who represent disability claimants
Key questions
- Must Social Security claimants present Appointments Clause objections to an ALJ during administrative proceedings before challenging ALJ appointments in federal court?
- How do ordinary administrative exhaustion rules apply to constitutional objections about the appointment of decisionmakers?