Court Opinion

ID: 9427809
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 23:21:57.361782+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:23:09.823941
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Rehnquist,
with whom Mr. Justice Stewart joins, dissenting.
I am in full agreement with the Court that the statutory question should have been resolved in this case prior to any application of the constitutional issue decided by the Court *37of Claims in Gentry v. United States, 212 Ct. Cl. 1, 546 F. 2d 343 (1976). Nor do I disagree with the Court’s construction of the statute in issue. I dissent, however, because I believe that the Court should remand the case to the Court of Claims for consideration of the statutory claim in the first instance.
Federal courts should not, of course, resolve cases on the basis of constitutional questions when a nonconstitutional ground might be available. A federal court also may not award relief on the basis of a constitutional decision absent jurisdiction conferred by Congress. When a federal court violates either of these prudential or jurisdictional limitations, our standard practice is to remand the case for consideration of the statutory question. In Youakim v. Miller, 425 U. S. 231 (1976), this Court found that a constitutional holding of a lower court might possibly be avoided by the construction of statutory requirements. The Court remanded, finding that the statutory issue might be dispositive, “but that the claim should be aired first in the District Court. Vacating the judgment and remanding the case for this purpose will require the District Court first to decide the statutory issue, . . . and if appellants prevail on that question, it will be unnecessary for either the District Court or this Court to reach the equal protection issue at all.” Id., at 236. See also Wyman v. Rothstein, 398 U. S. 275 (1970); Alma Motor Co. v. Timken-Detroit Axle Co., 329 U. S. 129 (1946). In Richardson v. Morris, 409 U. S. 464 (1973), the District Court decided a constitutional question under an erroneous assumption of Tucker Act jurisdiction, and this Court found it necessary to remand the case so that the District Court could determine what other permissible grounds of decision may have been open to it.
The Court of Claims in this case was wrong in resolving this case on the basis of its constitutional holding, both as a matter of prudential considerations as well as jurisdiction. See United States v. Testan, 424 U. S. 392, 397-398 (1976). While the Court of Claims did have jurisdiction to entertain the statu*38tory question presented in this case, we should have permitted it the opportunity to exercise that jurisdiction. Only this Term, we remanded a case to the Court of Claims for consideration of an issue not resolved by that court. Hatzlachh Supply Co. v. United States, 444 U. S. 460 (1980). By remanding here, we would conform the disposition of this case to our ,customary practice which recognizes the usefulness of district and appellate court opinions on the questions ultimately reviewed here, as well as the need to reserve this Court’s plenary consideration for questions still warranting final decision here after decision by another court.