Opinion ID: 2198160
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The All Writs Act

Text: The All Writs Act provides that `all courts established by Act of Congress may issue all writs necessary or appropriate in aid of their respective jurisdictions and agreeable to the usages and principles of law.' District of Columbia v. Group Ins. Admin., 633 A.2d 2, 14 (D.C.1993) (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 1651(a) (1988)). The Act does not constitute a concurrent basis for original jurisdiction and is designed to grant relief in extraordinary circumstances. District of Columbia v. L.G. Indus., 758 A.2d 950, 955 (D.C.2000). As the Supreme Court has observed: decisions of this Court have recognized a limited judicial power to preserve the court's jurisdiction or maintain the status quo by injunction pending review of an agency's action through the prescribed statutory channels.... Such power has been deemed merely incidental to the courts' jurisdiction to review final agency action.... FTC v. Dean Foods Co., 384 U.S. 597, 604, 86 S.Ct. 1738, 16 L.Ed.2d 802 (1966) (quoting Arrow Transp. Co. v. Southern Ry. Co., 372 U.S. 658, 671 n. 22, 83 S.Ct. 984, 10 L.Ed.2d 52 (1963)). We also have recognized this power to issue preliminary injunctions under the All Writs Act in order to preserve our appellate jurisdiction pending the completion of administrative review, see Capitol Hill Hosp. v. District of Columbia State Health Planning & Dev. Agency, 600 A.2d 793, 799 (D.C.1991), and in the Superior Court to preserve its jurisdiction to review the CAB's final decision in a bid protest, see Group Ins. Admin., 633 A.2d at 15. In this case, there is no question that our appellate jurisdiction is implicated in the ultimate resolution of the issues of 1) the jurisdiction of the CAB to decide, in the first instance, the arbitrability of contract disputes under the District of Columbia Procurement Practices Act, D.C.Code § 2-301.01 et seq. (2001) (PPA), and 2) whether such contract disputes are arbitrable. See D.C.Code § 2-309.05 (vesting D.C. Court of Appeals with exclusive jurisdiction to review decisions of CAB on claims arising from government contracts) and D.C.Code § 11-722 (2001) (vesting exclusive jurisdiction in D.C. Court of Appeals to decide contested cases). In determining whether to exercise our power of injunction under the All Writs Act, an extraordinary remedy, we consider whether the moving party, in this case the District, has clearly demonstrated (1) that there is a substantial likelihood [it] will prevail on the merits; (2) that [it] is in danger of suffering irreparable harm during the pendency of the action; (3) that more harm will result to [it] from the denial of the injunction than will result [to Verizon South] from its grant; and, in appropriate cases, (4) that the public interest will not be disserved by the issuance of the requested order. Group Ins. Admin., 633 A.2d at 21 (quoting Wieck v. Sterenbuch, 350 A.2d 384, 387 (D.C.1976)).