Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/19pdf/18-1323_c07d.pdf
Page Number: 106.0

Cite as:  591 U. S. ____ (2020) 

25 

ALITO, J., dissenting 

general approach to claims not raised below.”  Polar Tank-
ers, Inc. v. City of Valdez, 557 U. S. 1, 14 (2009).  A party’s
failure to raise an issue does not deprive us of the power to
take  it  up,  so  long  as  the  court  below  has  passed  on  the 
question.  See Lebron v. National Railroad Passenger Cor-
poration, 513 U. S. 374, 379 (1995) (“[E]ven if this were a 
claim  not  raised  by  petitioner  below,  we  would  ordinarily 
feel  free  to address  it  since  it  was addressed  by  the  court 
below”  (emphasis  deleted));  S.  Shapiro  et al.,  Supreme
Court Practice §6–26(b), p. 6–104 (11th ed. 2019) (collecting
cases).

In this case, no one disputes that the Fifth Circuit passed 
on the issue of third-party standing in Louisiana’s appeal 
from the District Court’s entry of a preliminary injunction. 
June Medical Services, L. L. C. v. Gee, 814 F. 3d 319, 322– 
323 (2016).  And when we granted the State’s cross-petition,
we  took  up  this  question  and  received  briefing  and  argu-
ment on it.  589 U. S. ___ (2019).

We have a strong reason to decide the question of third-
party standing because it implicates the integrity of future
proceedings that should occur in this case.  This case should 
be remanded for a new trial, and we should not allow that 
to occur without a proper plaintiff.  Nothing compels us to 
forbear from addressing this issue.  See Carlson v. Green, 
446 U. S. 14, 17, n. 2 (1980); Shapiro, Supreme Court Prac-
tice §6.26(h), at 6–111. 

B 
This case features a blatant conflict of interest between 
an abortion provider and its patients.  Like any other regu-
lated entity, an abortion provider has a financial interest in 
avoiding burdensome regulations such as Act 620’s admit-
ting privileges requirement.  Applying for privileges takes 
time  and  energy,  and  maintaining  privileges  may  impose
additional burdens.  See App. 1335.  Women seeking abor-