Opinion ID: 363137
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Lower Court's Authority to Enjoin Publication of Hunts' Trading Positions

Text: 49 On May 19, 1977 the district court entered an order preliminarily enjoining the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, in the absence of prior court approval, from making public the holdings, purchases, positions, or sales of the Hunts in the commodity futures market. The district court vacated this order on September 22, 1977. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission appealed the imposition of this order. We find that in light of the district court's removal of the injunction against publicity, the issue is moot. 50 Under Article III of the Constitution, the exercise of federal judicial power depends on the existence of a justiciable case or controversy; federal courts do not have jurisdiction to review moot cases. Liner v. Jafco, Inc., 375 U.S. 301, 306 n. 3, 84 S.Ct. 391, 11 L.Ed.2d 347 (1964). In the instant case, the alleged injury suffered by the Commission because of the imposition of the injunction is no longer extant; the district court's order has expired. Further, this is not a case in which, because the issue is capable of repetition, yet evading review, we should hold that the issue is not moot. See Southern Pacific Terminal Co. v. ICC, 219 U.S. 498, 515, 31 S.Ct. 279, 283, 55 L.Ed. 310 (1911); Nebraska Press Ass'n v. Stuart,427 U.S. 539, 96 S.Ct. 2791, 49 L.Ed.2d 683 (1976). Unlike the responding parties in these cases, the Hunts, especially given the imposition of an injunction supervising their trading, are unlikely to be involved in future litigation in which they seek to enjoin the Commission publicity about their commodity trading. See also, e. g., Nader v. Volpe, 154 U.S.App.D.C. 332, 475 F.2d 916 (1973). They do not have any significant interest in the question whether, in the future, a district court can impose a publicity injunction upon the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; thus, they lack the personal interest which stimulates adverseness. See generally O'Shea v. Littleton, 414 U.S. 488, 493-94, 94 S.Ct. 669, 38 L.Ed.2d 674 (1974). There is little likelihood that the Hunts will seek an injunction like this one in the future. Without such a likelihood of recurrence, the Southern Pacific Terminal doctrine does not apply and this controversy must be considered moot. See SEC v. Medical Committee for Human Rights, 404 U.S. 403, 92 S.Ct. 577, 30 L.Ed.2d 560 (1972). 51