Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/22pdf/22-105_5536.pdf
Page Number: 24

Cite as:  599 U. S. ____ (2023) 

11 

JACKSON, J., dissenting 

Griggs. 

IV 
To justify its new mandatory-general-stay rule, the ma-
jority ultimately rests on its assessment of what is “sensi-
ble.”  Ante, at 5–6.  But even the majority’s policy concerns
do not support its rule.

The  dispute  here  turns  on  a  subset  of  cases—those  in 
which a stay is not warranted under the usual discretionary 
standard.  See Nken, 556 U. S., at 434.  All agree that an 
interlocutory appeal should trigger a stay if that standard 
is met.  But the majority goes further and requires a stay in 
all cases.  Indeed, the majority mandates a stay even if none
of the traditional stay prerequisites are present: likelihood 
of  success  on  the  merits,  irreparable  harm,  favorable  bal-
ance  of  equities,  and  alignment  with  the  public  interest.
See ibid. 

The majority offers no good reason for that result.  The 
majority  says  that  an  automatic  stay  protects  the  party 
seeking arbitration and conserves resources in case the dis-
pute “ultimately head[s] to arbitration” after appeal.  Ante, 
at 6.  But the concern fades if that scenario is unrealistic— 
i.e., if the party seeking arbitration is unlikely to succeed
on appeal.

The majority’s concern is even weaker when a stay would 
harm the opposing party and the public interest much more 
than it would protect the party seeking arbitration.  Take, 
for example, a case in which crucial evidence would be lost 
if discovery is delayed.  Say a witness is on her deathbed. 
Under the majority’s rule, if an interlocutory arbitrability 
appeal  under  §16(a)  is  pending,  discovery  must  be  stayed 
and the evidence must be lost.  That is apparently so even
if the parties agree they wish to proceed with discovery.

The  majority’s  rule  also  prevents  courts  from  crafting
case-specific solutions to balance all the interests at stake. 
Under the traditional discretionary-stay rule, for instance,