Court Opinion

ID: 9481035
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 08:06:04.316316+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:48:03.674890
License: Public Domain

HENDERSON, Circuit Judge,
concurring:
I write separately to express my view that in light of this court’s holding in Ayuda, Inc. v. Thornburgh, we should address sua sponte the jurisdictional question and vacate Supplemental Order XIV as unsupported by subject-matter jurisdiction. See Amusement & Music Operators Ass’n v. Copyright Royalty Tribunal, 636 F.2d 531 (D.C.Cir.1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 912, 101 S.Ct. 1352, 67 L.Ed.2d 336 (1981). In the absence of such complete relief, however, I concur in the granting of a stay.
*154The dissent’s theory of interim jurisdiction ignores the clear holding of Ayuda and the mandatory effect of precedent in this circuit. See Association of Civilian Technicians, Montana Air Chapter v. FLRA, 756 F.2d 172, 176 (D.C.Cir.1985) (“we are bound by the principle of stare decisis to ‘abide by a recent decision of one panel of this court unless the panel has withdrawn the opinion or the court en banc has overruled it’ ”) (quoting Brewster v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 607 F.2d 1369, 1373 (D.C.Cir.1979)). Stare de-cisis requires that we follow Ayuda and, at a minimum, stay the district court’s injunction.
It makes no difference, as the dissent suggests, that the mandate in Ayuda was stayed pending disposition of the appellees’ petition for certiorari. Once the Ayuda opinion was released it became the law of this circuit. Stay of the mandate merely delayed return to the district court of jurisdiction over the § 265 claims and the exercise of its duty to dismiss them;1 it did not affect the district court’s duty — or ours — to apply the law set forth in Ayuda to parties not involved in the appeal.
Nor is it relevant that another circuit has ruled differently on the jurisdictional question or that the United States Supreme Court has granted certiorari on the question.2 Unless and until Ayuda is reversed or overruled by the United States Supreme Court or by this court en banc, Ayuda remains the law of this circuit and no amount of hardship the appellees may suffer as a consequence can confer jurisdiction on the district court.

. See City of Cleveland, Ohio v. Federal Power Comm'n, 561 F.2d 344, 346-48 (D.C.Cir.1977) (the mandate rule, under which a federal appellate court’s decision establishes the law binding the lower court in the same litigation, is a specific application of the law of the case doctrine expressing the duty of a lower court to follow the higher court’s decision on those issues decided on appeal).

. See Haitian Refugee Center, Inc. v. Nelson, 872 F.2d 1555 (11th Cir.1989), cert. granted sub nom. McNary v. Haitian Refugee Center, Inc., — U.S. -, 110 S.Ct. 2584, 110 L.Ed.2d 265 (1990).