Opinion ID: 6934831
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Retroactive Extension of the Administrator’s Term

Text: We also conclude for several reasons that the district court’s February 17, 1994 order extending the Administrator’s term retroactively was well within the court’s power. While consent decrees “should be construed basically as contracts” between the litigants, United States v. IBT, 998 F.2d 1101, 1106 (2d Cir.1993) (quoting United States v. ITT Continental Baking Co., 420 U.S. 223, 236-37, 95 S.Ct. 926, 934, 43 L.Ed.2d 148 (1975)), “[flew persons are in a better position to understand the meaning of a consent decree than the district judge who oversaw and approved it,” Berger v. Heckler, 771 F.2d 1556, 1576 n. 32 (2d Cir.1985) (internal quotes omitted). Further, a consent decree is an order of the court and thus, by its very nature, vests the court with equitable discretion to enforce the obligations imposed on the parties. See, e.g., EEOC v. Local 580, International Association of Bridge, Structural & Ornamental Ironworkers, 925 F.2d 588, 593 (2d Cir.1991) (“[T]hough a court cannot randomly expand or contract the terms agreed upon in a consent decree, judicial discretion in flexing its supervisory and enforcement muscles is broad.”); Berger v. Heckler, 771 F.2d at 1567-68 (consent decrees are “hybrid” in the sense that, though construed as contracts, “they are ... enforced as orders”). The court’s interest in protecting the integrity of such a decree “justifies any reasonable action taken by the court to secure compliance.” Id. at 1568 (internal quotes omitted). “Until parties to such an instrument have fulfilled their express obligations, the court has continuing authority and discretion — pursuant to its independent, juridical interests — to ensure compliance.” EEOC v. Local 580, International Association of Bridge, Structural & Ornamental Ironworkers, 925 F.2d at 593. These principles require affirmance of the February 17, 1994 order extending the Administrator’s term. First, both the terms of the Consent Judgment and the parties’ practice under it supported the district court’s view that the Judgment itself gave the court authority to extend the Administrator’s term nunc pro tunc. The Judgment subjected the consenting defendants to a permanent injunction, and the purpose of the provision for an Administrator was “to ensure and promote compliance” with that injunction (Consent Judgment ¶ 4). The Judgment required that the Administrator initially have at least a four-year term, and it set no maximum. It gave the court express authority to extend the Administrator’s term “as it sees’ fit.” (Id. ¶ 13.) Given these provisions, the district court’s interpretation of the Judgment as authorizing a retroactive extension, if the court saw fit, was correct. The conduct of the parties also supported the district court’s interpretation of the Judgment as authorizing a nunc pro tunc extension. On several occasions prior to 1994, orders were entered extending a term that technically had already expired. The October 26, 1993 order was signed 25 days after the previous extension had expired. Defendants did not appeal any of those retroactive extensions. Finally, it was well within the district court’s inherent power to extend the Administrator’s term nunc pro tunc on the ground that such an extension was necessary to assist the court in ensuring compliance with the Judgment. As the court noted in its Sanctions Opinion and its February 17, 1994 order, there had been pervasive violations of the Consent Judgment justifying the imposition of substantial fines. The court stated that it needed the Administrator to assist in enforcement of the sanctions imposed for the already established violations, as well as to complete his rule-drafting function and his ongoing investigations into other possible violations. In the circumstances, it was well within the court’s considerable discretion to determine that the continued presence of the Administrator was desirable and to enter its order extending his term nunc pro tunc.