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DESCRIPTION

• Overview of the decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co.
  • Lead opinion of Justice Gorsuch focused on stare decisis and history
  • The key fifth vote was from Justice Alito, but his concurrence raised dormant commerce clause concerns
  • The case is now remanded to the PA Supreme Court, which may resolve the dormant commerce clause issue
• Defendants have now turned to the dormant commerce clause, but there are strong counter-arguments
  • Old supreme court cases rejected dormant commerce clause challenges
  • The recent Pork Producers case showed the difficulty of Pike balancing claims
  • Other arguments
    • Procedural laws do not regulate interstate commerce
    • Most state laws trigger if a company is doing intrastate business (including PA)
    • States have a strong interest in opening their courts
• Tips on effectively litigating jurisdiction after Mallory
  • Allege registration in the complaint
  • Investigate whether your state has a registration statute with the right features
• Update on efforts in state legislatures to pass registration statutes
  • What features should such laws have to defang a dormant commerce clause challenge?