Opinion ID: 3065342
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Collateral Attack on a Scheduling Order

Text: [2] The Attorney General (AG) has designated ecstasy as a Schedule I controlled substance under the CSA.2 The CSA allows the AG to schedule a substance on a temporary basis when doing so is “necessary to avoid an imminent hazard to the public safety.” 21 U.S.C. § 811(h).3 [3] Forrester argues that the Schedule III definition more accurately describes ecstasy than does the one in Schedule I, and that “the scheduling of ecstasy has been questioned by the medical community.” Forrester further argues that denying him the opportunity to argue that ecstasy should be designated a Schedule III controlled substance violates Touby v. United States, 500 U.S. 160 (1991). Specifically, Forrester believes that he has a right to collaterally attack the substance of the scheduling order because Congress has not explicitly foreclosed such review. This is an issue of first impression in this circuit. 2 Congress delegated the authority to schedule drugs to the AG, 21 U.S.C. § 811(h) and the AG, in turn, has delegated the authority to update the CSA schedules to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). 28 C.F.R. § 0.100. However, the legitimacy of this delegation is not at issue here; accordingly, for purposes of this opinion, we attribute scheduling decisions to the AG. 3 This allows the AG to bypass, for a limited time, the lengthy procedure required for permanent scheduling and thus enables the government to respond more quickly to dangerous new drugs. Temporary scheduling orders remain valid for one year. Section 811(h)(6) provides that a temporary order is not subject to “judicial review.” Id. 314 UNITED STATES v. FORRESTER In Touby, the petitioners were convicted of conspiring to manufacture “Euphoria,” a designer drug that was temporarily placed under Schedule I. 500 U.S. at 162. The primary question in Touby was whether the AG’s power to temporarily schedule a substance violated the non-delegation doctrine. Id. at 164-67. The Court also considered whether the temporary scheduling statute was unconstitutional because it bars judicial review. Id. at 168-69. The Court held that (1) direct, preenforcement review of a permanent scheduling order is plainly authorized by 21 U.S.C. § 877 and that petitioners wishing to challenge the order can do so when the temporary order becomes permanent, (2) the AG’s compliance with his delegated duties may always be challenged by individuals facing criminal charges, whether they are temporary or permanent, and (3) substantive, collateral attacks on temporary scheduling orders may be brought by criminal defendants whose sentences will be affected by the order. Id. at 160. The concurring opinion in Touby emphasized that “the opportunity of a defendant to challenge the substance of a temporary scheduling order in the course of a criminal prosecution is essential to the result in this case” and that Congress “did not intend to foreclose review in the enforcement context.” Id. at 169-70. The concurring minority was concerned that temporary scheduling orders, which have not been fully vetted by the AG or passed all of the necessary procedural requirements, were going to have a severe impact on criminal defendants who were sentenced pursuant to the orders. In effect, the opinion permitted a concurrent vetting by the courts to ensure that such temporary orders were not improper. We construe Touby’s holding to be limited to temporary orders because permanent orders are thoroughly vetted and allow for direct attacks through 21 U.S.C. § 877. The Eleventh Circuit, the only circuit to have previously addressed this issue to date, came to the same conclusion. United States v. Carlson, 87 F.3d 440 (11th Cir. 1996). Carlson, like Forrester, attempted to substantively challenge the UNITED STATES v. FORRESTER 315 AG’s ruling that ecstasy is a Schedule I controlled substance. Id. at 446. The Eleventh Circuit held that a defendant cannot “make a collateral attack on a final regulatory decision in a criminal case.” Id. It gave two reasons: “[f]irst, the decision to schedule a substance like [ecstasy] is a complex matter, . . . [and] [s]econd, and more importantly, the agency itself is not a party in the case; hence it has no opportunity to defend its scheduling order.” Id. Additionally, to allow all criminal defendants to collaterally attack a permanent scheduling order based on their view that a particular drug has been misscheduled would potentially place a continuing, onerous burden on district courts to constantly re-litigate the same issue. [4] Forrester argues that, in other situations, Congress has been explicit about not permitting collateral attacks at trial. For example, 8 U.S.C. § 1189(a)(8) states: If a designation under this subsection has become effective under paragraph (2)(B) a defendant in a criminal action or an alien in a removal proceeding shall not be permitted to raise any question concerning the validity of the issuance of such designation as a defense or an objection at any trial or hearing. Section 1326(d) contains a similar provision in the deportation context. However, the evidence that Congress has, at times, taken a more proactive stance toward controlling collateral challenges is not sufficient to overcome our reading of Touby, and the persuasive reasoning of our sister circuit, to the effect that collateral attacks are not permitted in criminal cases involving permanent scheduling orders. [5] We hold that substantive collateral attacks on permanent scheduling orders are impermissible in criminal cases where defendants’ sentences will be determined by those scheduling orders. Accordingly, we conclude that the district court did not err in denying Forrester’s motion for an evidentiary hearing on the issue. 316 UNITED STATES v. FORRESTER