Why was April 14, an Important Date?

Because the Supreme Court handed government agency tribunals, like the FTC, another huge loss of power. No longer does a business have to expend all resources fighting a loosing battle before the agency tribunals – it has the right to seek redress before a Federal District Court. In consolidated cases involving constitutional challenges to two separate agencies, the Supreme Court looked closely at the adjudicative processes of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). While the Supreme Court did not address merits of the specific constitutional challenges brought by the petitioners, it ruled that, as respondents in administrative proceedings, they could challenge the constitutionality of the agency proceedings in federal court, without enduring the established statutory review schemes customarily used by the agencies.