Supreme Court unable to consider copyright case after four justices recuse
The Supreme Court was unable to consider a petition to review a copyright case after a rare lack of quorum due to four justices recusing themselves from evaluating the petition.
TL;DR
- The Supreme Court could not consider a copyright case due to a lack of quorum.
- Four justices (Sonia Sotomayor, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson) recused themselves.
- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit's ruling, stating copyright reversion applies worldwide, will be affirmed.
- The recusals are speculated to be related to the justices' publishing with Penguin Random House, whose parent company owns BMG Rights Management.
- This is the first time since May 2025 that a lack of quorum prevented the Supreme Court from considering a case for oral arguments.
- The court did, however, grant review of two other cases.